Girl of His Dreams: Redone!
by Requiem of Flames
Summary: Everyone knew that Sirius needed a steady girl to keep him in line. It was also common knowledge that only one woman could handle a man like Sirius Black, and Sirius couldn't agree with his fellow students more. -MWPP ERA- OC STORY, PLEASE READ
1. Catching the Train

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Marauders, but I sure wouldn't mind if I did. ;P They belong to J.K. Rowling. I do, however, own Leah Matthews and the other OCs. Don't steal, please!

**A/N:**_Thank you all so much for waiting so patiently for this story to come to an end. These new chapters will most likely be longer, but there will be less of them. I'm thinking 23 chapters total, with an epilogue. How does that sound? _

**Girl of His Dreams**

**Chapter One: Catching the Train**

Leah Matthews was lost. For one, it was her first time in England- she'd never left America in her life- and to make matters worse, she was alone. As if it weren't bad enough that she had been forced to move to the rainy, crowded city of London all the way from her quiet, country home in Alaska! Now, after a full morning of trying to find the damn station (knowing its name would have been nice), she was stranded between platform 9... and platform 10.

"Nine and three-quarters? What is this, a joke?" She mumbled a string of very American curses under her breath as someone bumped into her, causing her to drop her ticket. As she bent to pick it up, a pale hand snatched it up, holding it out to her politely. She stood straight, brushing a strand of her dark blonde hair behind her ear as she accepted the ticket from the man. "Oh, thank you."

"Nine and three-quarters, huh?" The young man grinned, shoving his hands into his pockets. "You're going to Hogwarts, then?"

"I'm trying," she said honestly, brightening at the realization that this man was also a magic-user. "I'm a bit lost." She looked him over, mildly entranced by his playful appearance. He had long black hair, slightly pale skin, and brilliant gray eyes, which radiated with masculine confidence. His smile broadened.

"Well, then, shall I show you the way?"

"That would be great," she said, sighing with relief. She hefted her navy blue duffel bag further up onto her shoulder and smiled gratefully as she held out her free hand. "I'm Leah Matthews, by the way."

"Sirius Black," he replied, shaking her hand. Before she could stop him, he bent down to place a soft kiss upon her knuckles. "Voted _**Hogwarts' Hottest Student**_ 6 years in a row and counting."

Hardly affected by his flirtatious behavior, she gave him a look of disbelief. "Hottest student? Are you sure?"

"Absolutely," he answered, releasing her hand. "You have a beautiful accent…Are you from America?"

"Yes," she sighed. "I had to transfer schools."

"How exciting! Well, we love new students," he replied, "or rather, we like picking on them. Don't worry, you've gained immunity by meeting me first. What year are you, again?"

"Oh, I hardly need immunity," she grumbled. "I'm a seventh year."

"Oi, that's cool. So am I. And so," he said distractedly, peering through the crowds, "are my friends!" He laughed, and waved to a trio boys who were standing by a large support pillar.

One had short, messy black hair and glasses, while the other had golden hair that reached along his jaw. The third one- a short, chubby boy- looked so out of place standing next to the three handsome teenagers that she almost felt sorry for him. His ginger-hued locks curled about the top of his head, and his shy smile revealed two large buck-teeth. The one with the glasses gave Sirius a frown and began to scold him.

"We're going to be late, Padfoot! What were you doing?" Leah tuned them out for a bit while they argued, looking around for any signs that read "Platform 9 3/4." When she saw none, she let out a sigh and turned back to Sirius and the others.

"I was helping out the new girl," Sirius replied. "Guys, meet Leah Matthews. She's American. Leah, this is James, Remus, and Peter." He pointed them out to her, and she gave a shy little wave.

"American?" James looked her over, running his fingers through his already messy locks with a cocky grin. "She's quite the catch, Sirius."

Leah found herself comparing James' ego to a small planet. _Pluto, maybe. _As more bickering ensued, she tuned them out and thought to herself,_ Oh yeah... Pluto isn't a planet anymore. _With a small sigh of frustration, she cleared her throat.

"Um…Where's the platform? Standing around is fun and all, but I have a train to catch."

"In the pillar," Remus answered, motioning toward it. Now that she paid attention, she noticed that students were walking into it and disappearing. She gave the train station one last look-around before following Sirius into the seemingly solid column. It was a completely new sensation for Leah, walking through a solid object, and on the other side was an entirely new, bustling platform. Leah gasped. There were so many people- kids, students, parents- all clambering for their last goodbyes and farewell hugs or kisses.

"No sorrowful family members to bid you farewell?" Sirius asked, following her troubled gaze. She shook her head.

"No, I came alone."

"Me, too! My mum is dead, hopefully," he said cheerfully. Leah opened her mouth to ask just what he meant by that, but he waved it away. "Anyway, seats are hard to find this late, but don't worry, you can sit with us in the back." Without another glance, he was leading her hand-in-hand to a cabin in the back. Sirius nudged her inside, and she slid over to the window seat. Remus squeezed in right after, taking the window seat across from her, and James plopped down next to Remus as Sirius took the empty space beside Leah. Leah did the math in her head (each cabin had two seats. Two seats that each held two people- maximum of four people), then glanced up at Peter, who stood in the doorway.

Peter seemed to have done the math as well.

"Sorry, Wormtail, ol' boy," Sirius said. "I think you'll have to sit with your Hufflepuff buddies this time!"

"O-Okay, yeah," he said, waving farewell. "I'll just see you all at Hogwarts, then!"

Leah watched him leave sadly. "I could have given him my seat."

"No offense to him," Sirius drawled, "but you are much... much prettier. I'd rather sit next to you any day."

"Ahhh…Our last ride to Hogwarts," James sighed, stretching out. "We should cherish it while it lasts…"

"It is a momentous occasion," Sirius agreed, snickering. "We should make it something to remember."

"You're not thinking what I think you are…are you?" Remus' voice was wary. "You get in trouble every year, Prongs, I don't see why…"

"Come on, Moony, you know you love the look on their sour little faces…" Sirius nudged Leah confidentially. "How about it, Matthews? Want to play some pranks on the Slytherins?"

"Slytherins?"

"Oh, that's right," Sirius said. "You wouldn't know them… At Hogwarts, there are four groups of students: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and the Slytherin."

"_We're_ all Gryffindors," James added proudly. "Slytherins are the worst." He stopped, giving her a suspicious glare. "_You're_ not a Slytherin, are you?"

"No way!" Sirius cried, throwing his arm out in front of her as if shielding her from the accusations. "Look at her, Prongsie! She just couldn't be a Slytherin!"

"Have you been sorted yet?" Remus asked Leah curiously, ignoring the other two.

"It was a tie between Ravenclaw and Gryffindor," she said, thinking back to her adventure with the talking hat. "But the talking hat chose Gryffindor, because of-" She stopped, but the thought continued on in her mind. _Because of why I was expelled._

"...Because of what?" James asked.

"Nothing. I don't know why I was put in Gryffindor."

"You must be brave," Remus said with a smile.

"Or ridiculously good-looking," Sirius added, giving her a thumbs up. "You have that one down. Congratulations! Now-" His voice took on a business-like tone. "In order to be a true Gryffindor, one must undergo certain tasks..."

"Hey, just because I'm new doesn't mean I'm stupid," Leah protested. "But..." She smirked. "If there's a prank involved, I guess I could watch."

"I like you already," Sirius said. Remus pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his head in disappointment at his friends.

"Not another trouble-maker…Am I the only one with any amount of common sense?"

"Unfortunately for you, Moony, yes."

"Alright… So, I brought these tricks on board…We could levitate them into the Slytherin car easily enough."

"We do that every year," Sirius whined. "Why not something new?"

"We could put black-out spells on the windows," Leah suggested boredly. "They wouldn't be able to see a thing until we pulled into Hogwarts…" There was silence, and Leah looked away from their surprised stares. "Stop looking at me like that."

"You sound like you have what I like to call 'pranking experience,'" Sirius accused, impressed. He grabbed her hand and kissed her knuckles again. "I approve. You can date me."

Leah took her hand back and shook her head. "No thanks."

"Aw, you didn't even give me a chance!"

"Imagine how scared they would be," James snickered, not even paying attention to Sirius' flirting. "All the first years would cry!"

"Potter, what are you doing here?" Everyone stopped talking and looked at the door, where a young woman with fiery red hair stood, her foot tapping with practiced impatience. She had unusual green eyes that gazed at James with disapproval. "We're Head Boy and Girl! We're supposed to patrol the train together. Not," she added, "play pranks on Slytherins."

"Oh, hello Evans! What pranks? I don't know what you're talking about…" He chuckled nervously and stood, gathering his cloak and uniform. "Well, I'll see you guys at the castle. Have fun without me…" The door shut gently, and they were gone.

"Are they an item?" Leah asked curiously.

"It's pretty obvious, isn't it?" Sirius shook his head. "He's obsessed with Lily... daft fool."

"Too bad she doesn't want a thing to do with him," Remus lamented, pulling out a book. "Now that your wicked plans have been thwarted, we can have a nice, quiet ride to Hogwarts for once."

"How long does it usually take to get to Hogwarts?" Leah asked.

"Just a few hours," he replied. Sirius sagged against the wall, moping dramatically to keep everyone's attention on him.

"It's the last train ride to Hogwarts and my very own best friend abandoned me…" He sighed pathetically. "Woe is me…" Leah chuckled at his acting. "Oi, Matthews…Maybe you can keep me company, beautiful." He slid across the seat until he was pressed against her. She rolled her blue-gray eyes and shoved him back.

"Down boy."

At this, Remus burst into an uncontrollable fit of stifled laughter, and Sirius couldn't help but chuckle, as well. Leah got the feeling it was an inside joke, and felt left out.

"Hey, what's so funny?"

"That's…That's so fitting, Sirius," Remus said breathlessly. Leah's confusion deepened, but neither of them explained. Instead, Sirius jumped over to put Remus in a gentle but firm head lock. As they wrestled and argued (Remus apologizing repeatedly in order to get free of the Sirius' hold), Leah stared out the window, a soft smile on her face. Maybe it wouldn't be so hard to make friends here, after all.

With the boisterous boys joking with each other loudly in the background, Leah rested her temple against the thick glass of the window and let her grogginess take over. After all, she'd been running around hectically all day. A little nap wouldn't hurt. Soon, her senses dimmed, and she drifted into a peaceful sleep.

* * *

**A/N:** (~2000 words) Revised, rewritten, etc, etc. So far not much will have changed- the only real difference in this chapter is the introduction of Peter, who wasn't introduced until Chapter 4 or 5 of the old story. I hope you all liked it! My writing has changed a lot over the years, but I hope it isn't for the worst! Please review and let me know what you think. :)


	2. How They Have Fun

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Marauders, but I sure wouldn't mind if I did. ;P They belong to J.K. Rowling. I do, however, own Leah Matthews and the other OCs. Don't steal, please!

**Girl of His Dreams**

**Chapter Two: How They Have Fun**

"Leah..." A voice called out to her, soft and deep like she always imagined an angel's voice might sound like. She allowed herself to be pulled from her slumber, but slapped feebly at the hand that was gently shaking her shoulder. The angel chuckled. "Leah, wake up. We're at Hogwarts."

"Say wha-?" Leah opened her eyes and blinked owlishly at the "angel" that turned out to be Sirius Black. She sat up quickly, glad he couldn't read her mind. From what she'd witnessed so far, the last thing he needed was a boost to his ego. She looked around, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "We're here? Are we late? Where is everyone?" She added, noticing the emptiness of the train.

"They've gotten off the train already," he replied. "Remus is waiting for us, let's go!"

She grabbed her jacket and followed him sleepily off the train. The cold evening mist billowed up around them, giving the entire place a spooky, ethereal look that gave Leah goosebumps. She looked up at the castle in awe.

"It's a real castle," she said, laughing. "This is amazing! It's huge!"

"Just wait 'til you see the inside," he said, heading out into the darkness. Leah noticed he was walking in the opposite direction of the other students and cleared her throat.

"Uh, Sirius? Where are you going?"

"First years don't take carriages," he replied, turning to face her in the dark. "They take boats."

"Well, that's great and all," she replied, looking over her shoulder to see if anyone had noticed them. The boarding station was suddenly empty, void of any sign of life- train included. Ghost train? She wouldn't be surprised. It sounded like a Stephen King novel, and she moved closer to Sirius as shivers ran up her spine. "Need I remind you that we're not first years?"

"I'm not... but you are. _Technically,_" he added, smirking. "What's the harm? Ah, there he is. Almost got it, Moony?"

"It's ready," he called back. Leah saw the tip of a wand in the mist, and hurried toward it- she had never been a fan of the dark. She kept following it until her foot sank into the ground with a splash, and she heard a quiet laugh behind her. With a scowl, she looked down to see her leg, half-way up to her knee, sunk in the lake.

"If that's not a sign of foreboding, I don't know what is," she mumbled, shaking the water off and climbing into the boat that floated harmlessly beside her. Remus helped her settle into the boat, growling as Sirius plopped down, rocking it precariously. While the boat skimmed smoothly atop the surface of the lake, Leah charmed her leg dry and looked up at the castle. It was amazing- bigger than she'd ever imagined, and to the east, she could see the rings of a Quidditch field.

"Haven't you ever seen a castle before?" Sirius asked jokingly. Leah shook her head.

"I'm from Alaska- no castles." She smiled. "You guys really get into the whole witch and wizard thing, huh?"

"What's the point of learning magic if it's not absolutely magical?" Remus asked as their boat drifted closer to the bank. "It adds to the experience."

"SIRIUS BLACK!" A loud, piercing cry rang out from the shore, and Sirius laughed nervously at Remus, who looked edgy as well. The blonde shook his head and tried to duck down behind Sirius.

"I knew we'd get in trouble," he muttered. The path up to the castle was well-lit, and it illuminated the figure of an older woman, who had her hands on her hips and a frown on her face. Leah recognized her from the Ministry of Magic, when she first arrived in London and had yet to be sorted.

"What in Merlin's name do you think you're doing?" Her bronze-colored hair was done up in a neat bun, her hat askew slightly. "Why couldn't you take the carriages like everyone else?"

"Professor McGonagall," Leah called, waving. "How are you?"

"Oh, Miss Matthews, there you are!" She met them on the bank as they clambered out of the boat. "What are you doing with Mr. Black and Mr. Lupin?"

"Well, they offered to give me a tour," Leah said smoothly, giving her a soft smile. Well, it was mostly true. "Remus and Sirius thought it would be a neat idea to let me ride in the boat, since I was technically a first year."

"Really?" The professor looked skeptical at first, and it hardened considerably when they nodded, playing along.

"Of course we did," Sirius said. "How could you ever doubt us? We just wanted to get Leah into the spirit of how things work around here- from what I've heard, school is boring where she's from. No fun at all, really...They don't even have a castle."

Her hawk-like gaze landed on him, and Sirius flashed her a charming grin, completely unfazed by her blatant disapproval.

"It's true," Remus added, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "Sorry for the trouble, Professor."

"Well, if you say so, Mr. Lupin. Excellent idea, Mr. Black. Ten points to Gryffindor for helping out a new student!"

Sirius and Remus glanced at each other in shock. They shared the same thought: _It worked?_

"Now, march yourselves up to the Great Hall! You don't want to miss the sorting, do you?" She turned and strode briskly back up the hill without another word, her emerald robes billowing behind her. Leah pulled her own plain, black cloak tighter around her and began to follow the professor.

"Bloody brilliant," Sirius said, sagging onto Remus with relief. "And to think, I pictured you as Miss Innocent at King's Cross!"

"Me? Innocent?" All she could do was laugh. They made their way up to the castle, Remus lagging due to the fact that Sirius still hung off of him like a large, benign tumor.

"Would you kindly get off of me? This hill is steep enough without you adding all this weight..."

"What weight?" Sirius demanded. "Is that a fat joke?"

"It's no joke," Remus retorted. "Get off of me!"

"Leah!" Sirius' voice was full of mock horror. "Moony just called me fat! You heard him, didn't you?"

"You're not fat," she assured him, rolling her eyes. "Stop being such a girl."

"I think I'm in love," Sirius muttered to his lycan friend. Remus rolled his eyes and shoved Sirius off of his side.

"Of course you are, Padfoot. Leah is a pretty girl who you haven't sucked face with yet." Sirius' face stretched into a broad grin as he righted himself and followed after his best friend.

"Did you just say 'yet,' Moony?"

Remus didn't answer. When they met up with Leah in the Great Hall a few minutes later ("About time, you two! What were you doing, stopping for coffee?"), she was standing with Lily and James, who was nearly dancing with excitement.

"Oi, Padfoot, you're never going to guess!"

"Guess what?"

James blinked. "What?"

"What?" Sirius looked confused. James returned his puzzled expression.

"I don't know, mate, you told me to guess what."

"... What?" Sirius and James burst into laughter, and Leah and Lily shared the same look- it was a mix between incredulity and embarrassment.

"If anyone asks," she told Lily quietly, "I don't know these people."

"Same here," she muttered back. "Let's go eat."

"May I join you?" Remus hung his head. "It's almost like I can feel my brain cells dying."

"Aww," Leah crooned. "Of course you can!" She walked with he and Lily, and many of the other Gryffindors introduced themselves to her as she sat down. It wasn't long before she heard someone whisper about how she was hanging out with the Marauders. She assumed that Sirius and Remus and James were the Marauders, because aside from Lily, Leah hadn't been seen with anyone else. word to spread insanely fast- moments later, she was sure her face was bright red from all the attention, and Sirius sat down beside her, poking her cheek and laughing at her.

"Oi, Matthews... your face looks like a tomato!"

"It does not," Leah protested, ducking her head in embarrassment. "I wasn't aware of your reputations when I sat with you on the train..."

"Sorry about that," Remus said, holding out a goblet. "It's mostly Sirius' and James' fault, I promise. Here, try some pumpkin juice."

"Pumpkin juice?" Her nose wrinkled in disgust. "You must be joking, that's nasty."

"You're a witch," Sirius told her. "You have to like pumpkins. Drink it."

"No way!"

"I thought that when I first came across it, as well," Remus said, chuckling. "I was surprised by how good it was."

"I still think it's nasty," Leah muttered, lifting the goblet to her lips. She took one sip, then another. Remus lifted a brow while Leah swished it around in her mouth before gulping it down. "It's like cider. It's sweet... but also tangy. I've never had anything like it!"

"Try the tarts," the girl across from Leah said. She had introduced herself as Melaina, and had short black hair and dark eyes. Her voice oozed false cheeriness, and she reminded Leah of the cheerleaders at her old school- the preps who tried to be real life Barbie dolls. "They're my favorite, so you'll definitely like them."

"No thanks," Leah said, poking the meatballs on her plate. "I've already eaten too much of these things... whatever they are..." She scowled. "I wouldn't be surprised if I just puffed up into one of them any moment now."

"Are you ready for a tour?" James asked, puffing up his chest. "It's my obligation as Head Boy!"

"You're not fooling anyone," Lily grumbled. "You just want to cause trouble because you know I won't be there to baby-sit."

"How can you think such horrible things about me?" James demanded, mock hurt written on his features. "Evans, you wound me!"

"Off with you, Potter." She turned her head, and he sighed, rising to his feet.

"Let's go guys! Oi, Wormtail, where have you been?" James turned his attention to the awkward-looking boy as he shuffled up to the Gryffindor table. He shrugged.

"D-Didn't feel like watching the Sorting."

"Okay, well we're giving Leah a tour. Wanna come?"

"Actually, I'm starving," he replied, sitting down where James had just moved from. "I think I'll stay a bit longer."

Remus and Sirius climbed out of their seats the same time she did, and immediately began bickering over who had stepped on whose foot. Leah shoved past them, a frustrated growl leaving her lips.

"You're like children, honestly! Cut that out you two."

"We were just playin' around," Sirius whined. He sidled up to Leah and threw his arm around her. "Did you want my attention, Matthews? All you had to do was ask..."

"Oh, shut up," she replied. "I think you've given me plenty of attention, thank you."

"You shouldn't be ashamed of wanting me all to yourself," he continued. "It's perfectly natural to be attracted to me."

The arguing and joking continued loudly as they traversed the corridors, until James sighed and stretched, reaching up to the ceiling.

"I've missed Hogwarts," he told the group. "I don't know what I'm going to do when it's all over..."

"You could be a professional Seeker," Remus suggested. Sirius wrapped his arm around Remus, his other arm still draped around Leah's shoulders.

"I don't know what I'm going to do either," he lamented. "What about you, Leah?"

"I'm not sure," she replied. "I want to be an Auror, but my record isn't exactly clean. The American Council of Witches and Wizards doesn't take my kind."

"Your kind?"

"It's... a long story. Nevermind." She laughed the topic away, and James hummed.

"Being an Auror would be fun," he said. "Tons of excitement." Remus coughed loudly, and Leah looked him over in concern.

"Hey, you okay?"

"Just a little cold," he replied, his voice resonating with frailty. Leah frowned thoughtfully, looking- _really_ looking- at his face for the first time. There were a few scars that had mostly faded, but were still noticeable. She said nothing, but her mind was reeling.

She could do the math. She knew the symptoms very well.

_Heather... _

_I've found a new wolf, it seems. I'm like a magnet._

"Here's the common room," Sirius announced proudly, waving his arms toward a painting of a very fat woman. Leah stared between him and the painting as if he were on drugs. In fact...

"Are you on drugs?"

"Er, no." James and Remus laughed, and Sirius winked at her. "You say the password, and the portrait moves so you can go inside."

"Oh, I see. Well, let's go!" Leah smiled, eager to see her new home. Sirius suddenly hung his head in shame.

"I forgot the password. Oi!" He ducked behind a rather large pillar. He reminded Leah of the British spy, James Bond.

"_Black. Sirius Black."_ Yep. She could totally see it.

"First years are coming! Shall we, Prongs?"

"Good eye, mate." They all piled around the pillar, watching the troupe of first years make their way toward the painting.

"You're about to watch a prank done Marauder-style," James told her quietly. Pulling his wand out of his belt, he muttered a soft string of inaudible words, and dashed out in front of the painting once more. Leah watched, amused, as he bent over and dragged his wand tip- which was now glowing a snot green- along the ground. Four long lines connected to make a box, and just as he leapt back behind the pillar, the first years passed their hiding spot.

Leah was confused. "They're just lines."

"'Just lines,' she says," he scoffed. "Watch what those lines can do!"

"You know," she said randomly, "I once heard that you can tell a lot about a person by how they have fun."

"Well, you're about to learn a hell of a lot about us," Sirius replied, snickering. Leah watched with baited breath as the first years got closer and closer to the box, the small crowd talking amongst themselves loudly. The girl in the lead had long brown hair, and was talking animatedly to a young boy who looked as though he really couldn't care less. The girl stepped into the box and let out a blood-curling shriek as the ground inside melted into a pool of green slime. She toppled in, and several other classmates fell in after her, having not been paying attention.

"They're like lemmings," Leah laughed quietly, watching them topple one at a time into the pool. Several tried to stop at the edge, but ended up getting pushed in by those behind them. Leah knelt to the ground.

"_Serpentralis,_" she whispered. Brown and green ribbons sprang from her wand and formed into snakes, slithering toward the pool. She was glad she had taught herself this trick in her second year, when she wanted to prank the girls who always lounged in the school's swimming pool.

"Oh, no," a girl shrieked. "What's that!" Screams erupted from everyone, several boys included, and Leah laughed loudly. Just as her ribs were beginning to ache, Sirius followed her example.

"_Arachnos,_" he muttered, and tarantulas burst from his wand, scuttling across the stone tiles on hairy legs. The first years waded around in the pool, wailing uncertainly- they didn't want to stay in the pool with the snakes, but they sure as hell didn't want to get out of the pool and play with the spiders.

"No where to go," Leah snickered. Sirius laughed, too, and James tucked his wand away.

"Well done, mates," he said, saluting each of them. "Now to go out there and fix it! When Lily shows up and sees me helping them out, I'll look like a hero! She's bound to fall in love with me after that!"

Leah saw a flash of red hair over his shoulder, but decided not to warn him. She only smiled broadly. "Sure, James. Whatever you say."

Remus cleared his throat, shuffling away awkwardly. "I'm, uh... going to go help the first years."

"Yeah, me too," Sirius added nervously, grabbing Leah's arm and backing away. James blinked.

"Oi, what's gotten into you lot?"

Suddenly, a very angry, feminine voice hissed from behind him,

"Having fun, Potter? How about you, Black?"

* * *

**A/N:** (2900 words!) CHAPTER TWO! Well, how was it? For every review I get, 1$ will go to fund the James Bond spin-off, "Sirius Black!" ("_My name is Black... Sirius Black."_)


	3. Connection

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Marauders, but I sure wouldn't mind if I did. ;P They belong to J.K. Rowling. I do, however, own Leah Matthews and the other OCs. Don't steal, please!

**Girl of His Dreams**

**Chapter Three: Connection**

_"Having fun, Potter? How about you, Black?"_

James froze, his typical reaction to Lily's angry tone. He put on his most charming grin and ran his fingers through his bangs. Remus, completely ignoring everyone's existence, merely walked away to help the first years clean off, humming softly as a victorious smile lit his features.

"Oi, why does he get to leave?"

"Because, Black, he's never in on it!" Lily stomped her foot. "What did those first years ever do to you?"

"Aw, it was just a harmless joke…" James shrugged carelessly. "Look, Moony just cleaned them up and sent them inside. No big deal!"

"They're probably traumatized," Lily scolded. "I told you, no pranks!"

"But Evans, don't you remember when you were a first year? You got pranked all the time, and you turned out to be a magnificent, outspoken witch!"

"One of the brightest witches our age," Sirius added, obviously sucking up. She turned her bright green glare onto him, and he slowly backed behind Leah, but he had to crouch, considering he was over a head taller than her.

"I was being pranked by _you,_" she snapped. "When are you going to learn when enough is enough?"

"Let's split," Sirius whispered into Leah's ear. "She's too busy trying to get James to grow up."

"What'll happen if we leave them alone?"

"They'll argue, he'll ask her out, and she'll get pissy and leave," he said matter-of-factly. Leah shrugged and edged away from the red-headed girl, sighing with relief once they were in the empty corridor and safe from harm. The first years must have left for the Common Room, because Remus stood there alone. The giant pit of slime was still remained untouched, but the spiders and snakes were all gone.

"I don't know why nobody listens when I try to tell them you're not as innocent as you look," Sirius grumbled to Remus, scowling. He stood on the edge of the pool of slime, looking into it blankly. Remus chuckled.

"I'm not as much of a delinquent as you, Padfoot, and I'm pretty sure that's all that counts."

"It's my first day and I'm already considered a delinquent…?" Leah sighed. "You guys are a bad influence."

"Oi, you already said that you were expelled," Sirius retorted. "I'm not that bad, at least."

"We'd be expelled, too," Remus joked, "if we were caught doing half the things we do."

"Yes…that is true," he agreed, narrowing his eyes slightly as she thought back. Leah allowed a smile, although sad, to fall on her lips.

"I'm not ashamed of what I did." She shrugged and noticed that Remus and Sirius were standing at the edge of the pit of slime. She stepped forward, hiding a smile, and placed a hand on their shoulders.

"I'm sorry, you guys."

"For what, Leah?" But she didn't have to answer the golden-eyed boy, because he was suddenly shoulder-high in sticky green slime and speechless. Sirius clawed his way toward the edge, swearing loudly as he slipped and became immersed in the slime once more.

"Ack!" Remus ignored Sirius' difficulties and waded over to the edge where Leah stood, calmly extending his hand to her. "This is highly uncomfortable," he said. "If you please…?"

"Wait, me too! I can't get out!" Sirius desperately flung himself toward the edge. "Help me!"

Leah laughed loudly and gripped one of their hands in each of hers, ready to pull them out of the pool, but Sirius grinned, and she realized her mistake- before she could release their hands, Remus and Sirius dragged her in.

"Oh, gross! It's warm!" Leah shuddered in mild disgust, glaring at the boys menacingly. "You are horrible, horrible people."

"I love you, too," Sirius answered sarcastically. Remus laughed as the blonde-haired girl struggled to wipe the ooze off of her face.

"You started it, Leah." Before she could answer, a loud, "CANNONBALL!" erupted from over their heads, and James leapt into the pool, causing it to splatter everywhere.

"DAMMIT, Prongs! I JUST got it out of my hair!" Sirius sighed and slumped into the slime, wiping it from his face. Just as he finished, Leah scooped up a handful and shoved it against his forehead, whistling innocently as it dripped down his cheeks. He spluttered and rubbed furiously at his face, but everyone was content with throwing slime in his face once he had it been removed. "Oi, knock it off!"

"So, guys, are you ready to learn your lesson about playing pranks?" Everyone looked up, confused, as Lily tapped her shoulder thoughtfully with her wand. James looked horrified and leapt for the edge of the pool in a desperate attempt at escape, but slipped and fell instead. "I don't think so, Potter." Her wand flashed, and the thick green slime dried and hardened back into the stone floor of the corridor.

"I can't move," Sirius said, trying to pull himself out. One of his arms was in the air, but the other was stuck in the stone. "We've been cemented!"

Lily smirked and said, "_Lunara scorpem_." The painting of the obese woman swung open, and Lily stepped inside, closing the painting back behind her. Remus blinked.

"Did she just leave us here?"

"Did she just walk through the wall?" Leah asked in surprise.

James shook his head. "That's the entrance to the Gryffindor common room," he reminded her. Everyone became quiet, and Sirius said suddenly,

"Hey, I still have my wand in my hand!" He grinned. "I'll just blast us out of here…"

"You're going to blast our legs off," Leah mumbled. Sirius rolled his eyes at her lack of faith, and said quietly,

"_Reducto!_" Remus cried out as the stone exploded, sending him flying back down the hall, while James was merely tossed up into the air, yelling out in surprise. Leah, however, found herself flying back over the railing. Before she could succumb to gravity and begin her descent, she charmed herself into a giant bubble, which floated her safely into the hall. She giggled at the look of awe on Sirius' face, and he grinned.

"You look like a fairy." Just as she floated over his head, he reached up with his wand and popped it, catching her bridal style. She blushed.

"Alright, you can put me down!"

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she replied, laughing shakily. She cursed herself- it had barely been 12 hours, and she was already crushing on the notorious Sirius Black. Oh, she had heard the rumors, alright, the tales of his flirtatious behavior. A veritable playboy, he was, with a different girl on his arm every other week. From what she'd heard, Sirius was incapable of an actual relationship. The thought made her laugh, and she pointed her wand at the ground, repairing the hole in the floor before cleaning the slime off herself. Remus stumbled toward them, a stern look in his golden eyes as he helped James up off the floor.

"We," he said firmly, "are never doing that again."

Leah couldn't help but laugh again, and soon the three boys were laughing with her. James wiped off his glasses and yawned.

"What a fantastic start to the year," he said. "I predict great things will happen this year!"

"I'm not going to forget the signs of foreboding," Leah growled to Sirius, who chuckled sheepishly.

"Don't be ridiculous," he drawled. "I'll be your good luck charm."

"Yeah, right," she scoffed. She followed James up to the portrait, waiting impatiently as he struck a valiant pose. After a moment, turned to the others in despair.

"Uh... what was the password again?"

"Lunara scorpem," Leah replied, and the fat woman nodded before swinging open. Leah stared into the room with shock on her face, scrambling after the others as they entered. The wide opening led to a brightly lit room, where other Gryffindors were found lazing about and conversing excitedly. James, having spotted Lily, rolled up his sleeves.

"I'm going to give Evans a piece of my mind," he said. Leah tugged him back by his shirt, shaking her head.

"She's never going to like you if you can't admit when you're wrong," she told him. "Instead of starting another fight, try apologizing."

"What?"

"Just tell her you're sorry and walk away," she said. He looked at her like she was crazy, but rolled his eyes and did it anyway. Lily glanced at him evenly before turning back to her friends: a blonde girl with big, brown eyes, and a brunette who was kind of portly but looked very nice. James opened his mouth to say something snide, but Leah cleared her throat in warning and he sighed.

"Sorry, Evans, you were right." He turned and walked back to them, looking annoyed. "There, was that all?"

Sirius and Remus watched as Lily stopped what she was doing and turned to stare at James in surprise. Slowly, a smile bloomed on her face and she turned her attention back to the other girls, who began talking excitedly. Leah smiled at the boys, who looked at her like she was – well, magic.

"A little responsibility goes a long way," she explained. "The more defensive you get, the more she's going to compare you to an immature child." Soon after, Lily approached them, smiling kindly at Leah. It was obvious the real reason she had come over, but Leah didn't say anything.

"Leah, I noticed your stuff upstairs in the dorms," Lily told her. Her eyes flickered up to James, then back to the new girl. "If you'd like, I could show you where it is. There was a package on your bed, too. It was sort of long and rectangular."

"My broom," Leah cried out happily. The others looked at her.

"You fly?"

"I haven't in awhile, but I loved to back in America. We had weekly races that I used to compete in," she explained. Sirius sighed romantically and clutched his heart.

"Is there anything you can't do, Miss Matthews?"

"I'm not very good at swimming and math," she said, placing a finger on her chin thoughtfully. She hummed and shook her head. "Other than that, I think I'm pretty good at everything."

"Well her ego matches Padfoot's, that's for sure…"

"Please, James, like you're one to make fun of anyone's ego," Lily said. Sirius ignored her and pouted.

"Aw, now you're just being mean, Prongs…I'm a lovable guy, right?" No one said anything and Sirius huffed, folding his arms over his chest. "Bloody traitors…"

Leah smiled at his childishness as she stifled a yawn and scratched the back of her head sheepishly. "I'm actually pretty tired, guys, I think I'll head to the dorms a bit early."

"Yeah, that's a good idea," Remus said. "We start our classes tomorrow."

"Damn it." Sirius knocked his head against the wall slightly. "I forgot about school."

"Maybe we'll have some classes together," Lily said hopefully. Leah nodded and smiled.

"It'd be nice to have classes with people I actually know," she agreed. "Today was a lot of fun. Thank you for the tour, James, and thank you, Remus and Sirius, for the enchanting boat ride here. It was fun."

"Your welcome. Goodnight, Leah." Remus headed toward the boys' dorms, and Sirius followed, waving to Leah as he called out,

"Have sweet dreams about me!"

James winked at Leah and Lily before running off after his best friends. Lily watched the three of them wrestle up the stairs and sighed, shaking her head. "I don't know what's come over me."

"Love?" Leah ducked as Lily swung her arm out, and laughed. "Just kidding, just kidding! I guess it's true what they say about the red-haired temper…"

"Would you like to find out?"

"No thanks!" Leah raced up the stairs in record time, Lily following after her, laughing. Leah turned to the red-haired girl and smiled as she began to unpack. "I think I'm going to like it here after all," she said. Lily smiled back.

"I hope so. I like having another girl around who knows how to put up with the Marauders."

The lights went out a few moments later, and Leah rolled over in her bed to face the uncovered window, showing her a nearly full moon. She sighed. _It's almost time for the full moon…will Heather be okay when she transforms?_

Setting her restless thoughts of home aside, she burrowed beneath the covers and allowed herself to fall into a peaceful sleep.

* * *

**A/N:** (2100 words) So, unless you didn't catch it, there's one little clue to a piece of Leah's past. More coming up! Also, PLEASE REVIEW! It's encouraging to get good reviews that I should continue the story. :D Thanks for reading!


	4. Meeting The Slytherins

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Marauders, but I sure wouldn't mind if I did. ;P They belong to J.K. Rowling. I do, however, own Leah Matthews and the other OCs. Don't steal, please!

**Girl of His Dreams**

**Chapter Four: Meeting the Slytherins**

It had been three days since Leah had arrived at Hogwarts, and she had only just been given her classes. McGonagall handed them to her with a quick, reassuring pat on the shoulder, and Leah skimmed over the supply list for the third time, checking off all the texts and supplies mentally.

"I'm sure I ordered everything," she told herself, shoving her Transfiguration book into her messenger bag. She took a deep breath and left the common room, looking down both directions of the hallway. With a slump of her shoulders, she groaned. "I don't know where the Transfiguration room is..."

"I'll show you," a familiar voice said, laughing. Leah turned to see Lily approaching.

"Lily! Thanks, you're a life saver!" Leah followed her immediately. "Are you going there, too?"

"No, I'm off to Ancient Runes," she replied, "but my teacher won't mind if I'm late, since I'm showing you around." On the way, Lily went over Leah's schedule. "Hmm... Charms, Transfiguration, Potions... History of Magic... Defense Against the Dark Arts," she cheered. "We only have one class together, looks like."

"Damn," Leah muttered under her breath. "Do you know about Sirius or Remus, or even James?"

"I have better things to do than check their schedules," she sniffed, handing Leah her schedule back. "But they're all in our Defense Against the Dark Arts class."

"That should be fun," Leah said happily, but Lily just rolled her eyes.

"Yes, watching the Marauders hexing random people is so fun. Oh, here we are!" Lily waved and headed back the way they had come. "Have fun!"

"Thanks..." Leah swallowed anxiously, but pushed open the heavy wooden doors. Luckily, class hadn't started yet, so Leah wasn't going to be docked for being tardy. She looked around for a seat, but they all seemed to be full. _Oh, there's one!_ The boy she would be sharing the table with had long black hair, done up in a messy ponytail that looked good on him. He was talking to two of his friends, a boy with messy black hair and glasses, and another with dirty blonde hair.

_Sirius, James, and Remus! Thank Goodness. _She cleared her throat softly to get their attention.

"Excuse me, may I sit here?"

"Sure!" Sirius smiled as she sat down. "Finally got your schedule, eh?"

"Yep." She took it out of her pocket and handed it to him. "Lily said we all have Defense Against the Dark Arts together."

"That's an affirmative," James agreed, leaning back on his chair's hind legs to look over the schedule with Sirius. Remus smiled at her as she pulled out her textbook, quill, and parchment.

"I see you have one of those quills that never run out of ink," he piped up. Leah nodded.

"Back home, we used normal pens. This quill business is just plain weird."

"We have Charms and Transfiguration together, too," Sirius piped up excitedly. "Moony and Prongs are in those classes with us."

"Who?"

"Oh, Remus is Moony and James is Prongs," he explained, handing her schedule back.

"Those are some strange nicknames," Leah said.

"Have you ordered your supplies?" Remus asked, swiftly changing the subject. Leah nodded.

"I think so... It should be here any day now."

"You can borrow my stuff if you're missing something," Sirius assured her. "I don't use half of it."

"I'm sure you don't use the other half, either," Leah said, rolling her eyes. Remus smiled and said,

"You couldn't be more right."

"Okay," Sirius huffed. "That's fine. Let's all gang up on the handsome popular guy."

"I'm going to look forward to Potions," Leah said suddenly. "That was always one of my strong points."

"Lucky..." Remus hung his head. "I have to take remedial lessons from Slughorn this year."

"Oh great," Sirius groaned loudly, as the Slytherins filed into the room. "An unpleasant visit from my dear cousin Bellatrix."

Leah and Remus looked up to see a group of students dressed in black and green clothing, all trying to look as important as they could muster. A young woman in the front spoke first. She had dark eyes and greasy-looking, black hair that reached her shoulders. She folded her arms across her chest with a superior look on her face.

"Look," her haughty, high-pitched voice leered. "It's my cousin, the blood traitor, and the Gryffindor trash he calls 'friends.'"

"Look, guys, it's my overrated cousin Bella and her greasy-haired, Slytherin posse," Sirius shot back. James laughed loudly.

"Get lost, Bella."

"I just stopped by to greet the new wolf-lover," Bella sneered. Leah's eyes widened in shock, and the black-haired girl laughed. "I heard all about you, Matthews. You didn't transfer, you were expelled for running around with a werewolf."

"That's none of your business," Leah said angrily. "Go bug someone who can actually stand the sound of your voice. If you can find someone, that is."

"Quite the mouth on you, isn't there, wolf-lover? I suppose I can't be surprised, you _are_ hanging out with my miserable cousin and his friends." She flipped her hair over her shoulder, and the group of Slytherins behind her all laughed at them.

"If you were my cousin, I'd be miserable, too," Leah snapped. Sirius snorted as he tried to stifle his laughter.

"You little wretch! You think you can talk to _me_ like that?"

"Class has started," McGonagall called loudly, her impeccable timing interrupting their fight. She swept into the room briskly, her gaze landing on the gang of Slytherins who had yet to sit down and take out their texts. "Miss Lestrange, Mr. Malfoy. All of you, take your seats."

"Remember, Bella, that if I can handle werewolves, the likes of you won't be a problem at all," Leah growled out, just low enough for them to hear her. Bellatrix turned and gave her a hideous snarl.

"Try it," she hissed, taking her seat. McGonagall started into her lecture immediately, and Leah clenched her wand in her fist so tightly her knuckles were white.

"Don't let her get to you," Sirius murmured quietly. "She's always sticking her overgrown nose where it doesn't belong."

Leah rested her chin in her hand, propping her elbow up on the table.

"Word spreads fast around here," she sighed, staring up at McGonagall's demonstration blankly. "I don't know why I'm so surprised."

"Was what she said true?" He asked incredulously. "You were expelled for hanging out with a werewolf?"

"She's my best friend," Leah said defensively. "She's the kindest creature I've ever met. Always smiling, and trying to make others happy. I don't care what anyone says- she's not a monster."

"We understand perfectly," Sirius said, trying to calm her down. Leah turned her eyes onto Remus, who paled under her speculative gaze.

"Yes," she agreed, "I suppose you do."

They all looked at each other, and McGonagall cleared her throat. "Very well, since no one will volunteer, I'll call on someone. Miss Matthews, would you like to tell me why witches in the past were always connected, by muggles, with black cats?"

"Witches were often animagi, and transformed into black cats due to their agility, darkness, and normality among human villages," she said monotonously, taking her eyes off of Remus. The professor nodded briefly.

"Very good. 5 points to Gryffindor for actually paying attention," she said, staring pointedly at a group of Slytherin girls on the other side of the room. Leah scoffed.

"I was paying attention?"

"Apparently."

Leah frowned. "Well, that's no good." She ignored Sirius's gaze as she stuck her wand in her belt loop and began doodling dinosaurs on her spare parchment. Her first day of actual school didn't seem so exciting anymore. She just wanted to run back to her room and break anything she could get her hands on.

_Damn that witch,_ Leah thought venomously. _She doesn't know anything. How dare she talk about Heather like that?_ Her gaze softened as it flickered back over to Remus, who sat in front of her. At the moment, she could only see the back of his head, but she could imagine the shock he must have gone through when- _what was her name? Bellatrix? What an ugly name!_- brought up the fact that she'd been running around wolves. _Thought you'd been found out, eh?_

From what she'd read, werewolves weren't hunted in Britain- not like they were in America. Still, they were prejudiced against. The Headmaster of Hogwarts must have been either extremely trusting, or extremely stupid to let Remus Lupin live in a place full of people like this. What happened when he transformed? How can they have kept it a secret this long?

* * *

_Still, _she mused, moving her eyes back to her hastily sketched triceratops. _He's been nothing but kind to me. Just like Heather. Why do the kindest people have to be plagued with such a cruel curse?  
_

When class let out, everyone gathered their belongings and headed for the door. Remus moved slower than usual, and Leah bowed her head in apology.

"I'm sorry," she said to him quietly. "I won't tell anyone."

"I appreciate it," he replied, smiling as if nothing were wrong. "How did you find out?"

"Like I said," she told him, laughing. "My best friend was one of them. The signs aren't hard to see."

"I suppose not," he agreed, looking back to Sirius and James, who were waiting by the door. "I've read about what they do to lycans in America. You stuck by your friend despite all of that, and you paid a price for it. Any friends at all are hard to find for our kind... let alone loyal ones. She was lucky."

"It looks like you managed better than her," I told him jokingly. "All I did was baby her."

"Even so." They walked together to the door, where Sirius hummed in thought as soon as she passed him.

"Is that what you meant by 'your kind' earlier?" He asked.

"I've been expelled for being a 'werewolf supporter,'" she replied, using her fingers to make air-quotes. "I was caught by the Hunters twice before... With a record like that, no other school in America wanted me. Professor Dumbledore was the only one who would take me."

"Dumbledore is a great man," Remus told her. "I owe him a lot."

James gave him a firm pat on the shoulder. "This is a great happy moment and all, but I'm off to Potions. See you at lunch!"

"Bye James. Have fun with Lily," Leah called. Remus agreed to walk Leah to History of Magic, and when he smiled, it looked shaky. The sight reminded her of Heather, and she reached out to feel his forehead. Remus was surprised, but laughed tiredly at her concern. "You weren't joking when you said you babied her, I guess! I'll be fine in a couple days," he assured her.

"Yes…" Leah sighed, her eyes narrowing with worry. "You should go to the Infirmary."

Sirius patted her head comfortingly. "Don't worry so much, you'll age faster."

"I'm walking Leah to Professor Binns' room," Remus told Sirius, noting the confusion on his face as he and Leah began walking the opposite direction. "You're welcome to join us."

"Oh, have fun," Sirius said, making a face. "Binns is boring as hell."

"You just don't like history," Leah said, hands on her hips. "I'll enjoy the class, I'm sure of it!" Sirius waved a hand in acknowledgment as he continued his path to Care of Magical Creatures.

"You keep telling yourself that," he called back.

Leah huffed and turned to Remus. "You like history, don't you?"

"Um...well, honestly..." Remus hung his head. "Not when Binns teaches it."

Leah felt another wave of dread wash over her.

* * *

**A/N:** (2100 words) Next chapter will be better, I promise, sorry for the crappy writing in this one. I changed quite a bit, in order to distance the characters. I had many reviews saying that Sirius was becoming too attached to Leah too quickly, and vice versa, and I agree. So, I fixed it! Let me know if this is any better, please! Thanks!


	5. It's Not A Game

Disclaimer:

I don't own the Marauders, but I sure wouldn't mind if I did. ;P They belong to J.K. Rowling. I do, however, own Leah Matthews and the other OCs. Don't steal, please!

**Girl of His Dreams**

**Chapter Five: It's Not a Game**

It was almost Halloween- it had been two short months since she had arrived at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. Leah had noticed right away just how magical Hogwarts tended to be- it flaunted its castle by keeping its paintings alive and its ghosts a part of daily life. (By having them teach, no less. She realized why Binns was so boring; do you realize how horribly monotonous a lecture can be when the professor doesn't have to stop to breathe?) Nearly-Headless Nick was a treasure to all Gryffindors. A brave man, he was, and wise to boot. Leah liked going to him for advice, and even for directions.

Unfortunately, it was hard to follow him when he would just randomly float through a wall. _This is the shortest route,_ he would swear, as if forgetting Leah was solid, as well.

As Halloween floated just around the corner, Leah had been subject to all sorts of pranks by all sorts of people. She could understand it- she was the new kid, after all, and that made her as vulnerable as any of the first years. Harmless pranks were one thing: she could find humor in Sirius' gift chocolates, which turned her tongue and teeth a vivid shade of blue- _"To match your eyes."_- and she could even laugh at herself when James had left a spare card from Exploding Snap in her bag. Did you know that if you keep a card from the rest of the deck for longer than an hour it explodes?

Leah didn't.

But it turns out it does explode, very messily, and Leah was forced to pick up the charred remains of her bag, as well as all of her possessions. If it had been anyone else, she'd have laughed, so she figured, why not laugh at herself?

There were some jokes, however, that totally crossed the line. And the only creature who dared cross that line was the one thing she couldn't physically maim: a ghost.

She had always thought there was some sort of rule against male ghosts going into the Girl's Dormitories. It made sense to her- if living boys weren't allowed, dead ones shouldn't be either. It was just how things were supposed to work. Especially when they could just float in and take your stuff.

Which brings us to Leah's current situation. Leah had been in the shower, scrubbing away the orange slime that had fallen from a precariously-perched bucket atop the girls' dormitory door, when suddenly, she heard a clatter arise from her room. She opened the door with just a towel on, knowing that it must be a girl who was making the noise.

Well... she was wrong.

It was Peeves, the resident Prank Champion, or so he proclaimed. He and the Marauders were having a competition, it turned out, and Peeves was about to cross the finish line. He levitated all of Leah's belongings into the air, and with a light popping noise, they were gone, and so was Peeves, his cackling still echoing from the walls.

For a second, all she could do was stare. Then-

"**PEEVES! GET BACK HERE WITH MY CLOTHES!"**

She tightened the towel around her body and sprinted out of the dorm room, leaping down the stairway two steps at a time. She landed with a loud thump on the floor.

"**I MEAN IT, PEEVES! I'M GOING STRAIGHT TO DUMBLEDORE IF YOU DON'T RETURN THEM RIGHT THIS SECOND!"**

The first years, who didn't have class today, stared at her in shock. She whirled on them with a furious scowl.

"_What the **HELL**are you looking at?"_

"Woah," a familiar voice exclaimed from the Portrait Hole. Sirius looked her over with a smirk. "Is that a new look, Leah?" He flashed her a thumbs-up. "I approve!"

Her outraged glare silenced him immediately, and he ducked behind Remus, who averted his eyes with a blush.

"What exactly are you doing?" Remus asked. James sniggered, and Lily, who had just arrived, rushed in to save the day, wrapping her cloak around Leah's shoulders and scolding the boys angrily.

"Oi, we didn't do anything," Sirius protested, raising his hands defensively. "We just got here!"

Now that everyone was there, Leah's temper faded and her embarrassment took over. She turned bright red, stepping behind Lily as tears sprang into her eyes. She turned and ran wordlessly back up into her room, while the boys tried to figure out what in Merlin's name just happened.

"She was yelling at Peeves about her clothes," a first year piped up. "It was scary."

"Yeah," another one agreed, nodding fervently. "Really scary."

Lily sighed. "I'll go talk to her."

"What a jerk," Leah mumbled, searching through her trunk and suitcases for anything Peeves might have left behind. "Even my wand is missing!"

"What happened to your things?" Lily asked, surprised as she entered the ransacked room.

"Peeves," Leah replied angrily, wiping her eyes. "He just took off with it while I was in the shower... I can't believe I just ran down there... in front of everybody..." She hung her head. "How embarrassing... I bet they're all laughing right now."

"Sirius and the others were worried," Lily told her, shuffling through her own trunks. "They've gone to find Peeves and get your clothes. We're about the same size- you can borrow some of my clothes until Sirius and James come back."

"Thanks, Lily."

As she was getting dressed, Lily told her she was going to see McGonagall. "If Peeves has been coming into the girls dormitories," she explained, "Professor McGonagall needs to know. I'll be right back."

Leah followed her downstairs and sat beside Remus, who was sitting in an armchair reading. He looked up when she plopped onto one of the loveseats beside him.

"Are those Lily's clothes?"

"Yes. They're not really my style," she admitted quietly, still blushing. She plucked at the purple sweater she was wearing. "I'm not a huge fan of purple, either, but at least I'm not naked."

"Sirius was very angry."

"He looked the same to me," she replied grumpily, folding her arms over her chest. "I suppose you know him better than I do, of course."

"I do," he agreed. He hummed thoughtfully. "He's taken a liking to you."

"Is that so?" Leah smiled wryly and swept her legs up onto the couch, wiggling her toes as she lounged on her back. The warmth of the fire felt good against her chilled skin, and she closed her eyes. "Well, I've heard several stories about the women Sirius 'takes a liking to,' and I have no intention of being a notch on his bedpost."

Remus chuckled. "Who told you those stories? Hopefully not Melaina Yearham."

"It was her," Leah answered. "And some of her friends who'd all dated him. Why?"

"He dumped her back in fifth year," Remus explained. "I'll admit he dated a lot of girls during his fifth and sixth year, but it's nothing like the stories. He doesn't sleep around."

"Really?" Leah felt a little bad for believing the girlish gossip, especially considering how shallow and bitchy Melaina was. "Just rumors from a jealous ex, huh? That's original."

"Not much in life is truly ever original," he said wisely. He laughed at his own words. "Maybe I'll be a philosopher when I graduate."

"Perhaps." Leah was drifting closer and closer to sleep. She yawned. "You give great advice."

"I do, do I? Want some, then?"

"Sure."

"Don't scream."

"Hm?" Leah frowned, opening her eyes groggily. "What do you-?"

"**BOO!**"

"AAAHHHHH!" Leah sprang from the couch and fell into an unceremonious heap on the floor, her heart pounding rapidly in her chest. Sirius swung himself over the back of the couch and leapt into her seat as she climbed to her feet, hands on her hips. "Sirius! What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing," he replied cockily. "I'm perfect. Besides, Moony tried to warn you."

She growled, but before she could get too angry, Sirius jerked his thumb up toward the dormitories. "Your clothes should be back by now, and we told Peeves not to mess with you again."

"Will he listen?"

"If he knows what's good for him," he boasted seriously. "I should have exorcized the bloody git."

"Thanks..." Leah sat down beside him and blushed. "For everything. You've been a great guy, even from the beginning. I'd probably still be at King's Cross if it weren't for you."

He reached out and ruffled her hair. "Of course I've been great," he replied. "I'm always a great guy."

She rolled her eyes and rose to her feet. "I'm going to go change. Not a fan of purple," she muttered. Remus grinned.

"You mentioned that already."

"Yes, well, I'm _really_ not a fan of purple." As she made her way up the stairs, Sirius smirked over at his best friend, who just shook his head.

"She said you were a great guy," Remus reminded him. "That doesn't mean she's head-over-heels."

"Moony, my dear old mate... She may not know it yet, but she's going to fall for me sooner or later. Most likely sooner, once I turn up my charm a bit. She won't know what hit her."

"It's not a game," Remus chided gently, still reading his book on Egyptian Magic. "_She_ isn't a game."

"I know that," he muttered, running his fingers through his bangs. "I don't want her to be a game. That damned Melaina absolutely ruined my reputation..."

"I think if you spent less time flirting with other girls and showed more interest in her, she'd forget all about the rumors."

"...Maybe you're right." Sirius grinned. "I don't have to stop flirting, I just have to flirt with Leah! A lot!" He jumped up. "Thanks, Moony! I'm going to go set up my plan of attack."

As he rushed upstairs, Remus sagged into his chair.

"That's not what I said at all..."

* * *

**A/N:** (1800 words) So? How was it? Is it just me, or are these chapters longer than they used to be? Hmm... Anyway, stay tuned, readers! Thanks for reading, and please review!


	6. Letter Home

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Marauders, but I sure wouldn't mind if I did. ;P They belong to J.K. Rowling. I do, however, own Leah Matthews and the other OCs. Don't steal, please!

**Girl of His Dreams**

**Chapter Six: Letter Home**

Leah woke on Halloween morning with another deep sense of foreboding. It wasn't because of the sun, cheerfully shining directly against her eyelids, nor was it because of Lily's loud voice, calling her into the realm of consciousness. She rolled over, dragging her silky pillow over her head, and Lily giggled.

"Good morning, Leah! Up, up, up!" Her voice was bubbly... too bubbly. It made Leah want to stab something. She dragged herself out of bed just to stop the murderous thoughts, and glared at the too-happy witch.

"Don't you have something better to do than wake peacefully-sleeping friends? Like... study, or read a book or something?"

"Sorry, but Sirius and Remus are going to Hogsmeade later, and they wouldn't leave me alone until I agreed to come up and ask if you'd go with them." Leah grumbled, and Lily put her hands on her hips. "Is that a yes, or a no? I'm not fluent in 'obviously-not-a-morning-person' yet."

Leah couldn't help a small smile. She really was a morning person, usually. The dream she'd had last night had been something else. It made her anxious, and that put her in a bad mood. She nodded.

"Yeah, I'll go. I'm just going to shower first." _Hanging out with Sirius and Remus will probably cheer me up, anyway,_ she thought to herself, as Lily pranced from the room. She dug through her trunk for her bathing supplies, and her eyes fell upon a single framed photo. Unlike most of the photographs in the wizarding world, this one didn't move. It was a picture of two girls, laughing, with their arms around each others shoulders. One had wavy blonde hair, with bright blue eyes that showed obvious exhaustion, and the other was shorter, which curly brown hair and green eyes that shone brightly despite the frailty hidden within them.

"_Let's take a picture together!" Heather, just 14 years of age, raised the small muggle camera toward her best friend, Leah, who sat at a desk and was immersed in a rather thick book. Leah had never been one to study, but this wasn't exactly school-related. Heather sighed. "Are you reading _more_ books on werewolves?"_

"_Mhmm," she replied distractedly. "I've aced every Potions class I've ever had, Heather. It's my strong point. Maybe there's some elixir somewhere that can make your transformations easier."_

"_Leah..." Heather smiled sadly, but didn't finish her thoughts. "Let's take a picture! Come on, get out of that chair, you've been studying for days without sleep!"_

"_A picture?" Leah eyed the camera skeptically. "What for? It's not like we're going anywhere."_

"_Something to remember me by, in case... you know." She brushed a strand of her curly brown hair behind her ear and fiddled with the camera as Leah laughed. _

"_In case what? Don't be ridiculous, Heather, I'm not going to let anything happen to you. Besides, your parents have already finished the basement so that you can stay home when you transform. It's going to be a lot safer that way." Leah shut the book. "Once I'm out of school, we'll get out of this country. We'll travel the world, where werewolves aren't treated the way they are here."_

"_Well then, let's just take one picture," Heather said, smiling at her best friend's bravado. Her green eyes flashed with hope, and Leah was glad to see the spark back in her eye. "Come on!"_

"_Alright, alright." The blonde girl stood, wrapping her arms around her adopted sister. "I probably look like hell, after three days of no sleep."_

"_You look like me," Heather retorted, as if it were an insult. "We'll actually look like sisters in this picture!"_

"We do," Leah agreed, running her fingertips along the dusty frame. She blew it clean and set it up on her nightstand, where it should have been months ago. Her dream had been frightening, but she wasn't about to give up. "I remember why I'm here now, Heather."

When she had first found out Remus was a werewolf, he'd told her all about Sirius, James, and Peter, and how they'd all become Animagi in order to help him through his transformations. It was a brilliant idea, and she wondered why she hadn't thought of it herself.

Sirius- the dog. The animal suited him well, with a playful disposition that could quickly become ferocious if threatened.

James- the stag, which was just as proud and majestic as James tended to be.

Finally, Peter- the rat. There really wasn't much more to that description. He was shy, twitchy, and had buck-teeth, but Leah hadn't seen him around often enough to really know him. Sirius said Peter had become more distant this year, but was still one of the Marauders.

Their nicknames made much more sense, now that she thought about it. Moony? How obvious was that? Leah shook herself out of her thoughts, and with an inaudible sigh, headed into the shower; hopefully the hot water would take the edge off.

When she walked down the stairs a half -hour later, Sirius was the first to greet her. He took his eyes off of his game of Exploding Snap with Remus and grinned over at her.

"Ah, my beautiful, beautiful flower has awoken! Did you sleep well?"

"Of course," Leah said, failing at an attempt to smile. "How about you two?"

"We slept fine..." Sirius glanced at Remus, who shrugged, and Leah tried again to smile. It was obviously not working, because Sirius' face fell into a look of concern.

"Oi. Are you…?"

"Fine," she interrupted with false cheeriness. "When were you planning on heading to Hogsmeade?"

"Oh, right!" Sirius scratched his head. "Probably around eight or nine tonight," he said. "The party here starts at midnight, so that gives us a couple hours to show you around and all."

"Sounds great!" She ran a shaking hand over her vest, smoothing imaginary wrinkles in her clothes as she shifted her bag more comfortably on her shoulder. "I'm going to go to the library, I have an essay to write."

"The library?" Sirius made a face. "Have fun."

"You know," Leah said, mock hurt on her face. "I could be getting murdered in the library and you wouldn't know because you never go near it."

"That's not fair…" Sirius gave her his most charming puppy dog pout, which she was sure he had perfected while in his dog form. Remus stood, collecting his books.

"Don't worry, Sirius, I'll protect her." He smiled at Leah. "If you're okay with it, that is."

"Of course," she said. "The more the merrier!" As they opened the portrait, she smiled back Sirius. "Last chance!"

"I think I'll pass," he laughed, winking at her. "I'd just distract you, anyway."

"As if," Leah retorted loudly, rolling her eyes. As soon as they were in the corridor, Remus' smile faded, and Leah hurried to redirect his thoughts from his obvious desire to ask what had upset her. "I'm going to write a letter to Heather," she said, a soft smile on her lips. "Will the owls make it all the way to America?"

"Of course," he answered. "Why has it taken you so long to write to her?"

"…I was afraid to," Leah said after a minute. "I haven't done anything since I got here…I feel like I ran away."

"I'm sure she doesn't feel that way, at all. I think she's glad that you're not in danger anymore."

"That sounds like her," Leah said, sighing. "I'm so worried, Remus."

"I know." Nothing more was said until they reached the library, and while Leah scratched out a long letter to her best friend, Remus was content with merely giving her his company, his nose buried in a book on the Salem witch trials.

_Dear Heather,_ she wrote,

_How are you? Sorry it's been so long since I've talked to you. Life is a little hectic here. My first day was a blast, and I made some new friends who are just like me! Can you believe it? I told you I wasn't the only one._

_First, there's Remus..._ At this, Leah looked up at Remus.

_First, there's Remus. He's like you, with the same "condition" and everything, you know? I must attract you people. Would you call that animal magnetism? Anyway, Remus is a great guy, Heather, you'd love him. Literally. I bet you'd make the perfect couple. _

_Sirius is the first person I met here at Hogwarts. He saved my life at the train station. I was lost, and he showed me where to go. He's really handsome and funny- the type that causes a bunch of trouble, I suppose, but he's brilliant. Sometimes, anyway. I guess it's the tattoos that get me. I'm not sure what it is, but he's just…so likeable!_

_James and Lily are the classic example of a love-hate relationship. James is a bully and a showoff, and Lily's the smart, pretty girl who thinks he's a complete moron, and somehow they fell in love. Even if they won't admit it yet. She'd hit me if I said that, though. Did you know the 'red-headed temper' wasn't a stereotype at all? It's very, very real._

_This school is amazing, Heather, I wish you were here with me. It's a castle, an actual, full-scale castle! Secret passage ways, dungeons, and ghosts included. It really is awesome. If you were here, you know what would happen, right? I'd drag you around in the dark and you'd scold me for getting us in trouble and I'd tell you that you were worrying too much._

_Speaking of worrying… I've been so worried about you, Heather. Are you well? Besides the obvious of course… Write me back and tell me what's been happening! I don't hear anything about Alaska in the British news._

_Your best friend,_

_Leah Matthews_

Leah sighed and reread her letter to make sure it was perfect. She hoped Heather would read it and see that she hadn't forgotten about her. It took a minute for the ink to dry, and then she rolled it carefully.

"I'll take this up to the Owl Room real quick…Be right back!"

"Alright." And she was off, jogging out of the library and up the eastern tower to where the owls were kept. She picked the strongest-looking owl she could find, though she had no idea how to tell, and slipped her scroll into it's canister.

"Alright, owl. Fly safe to Alaska, and take this to Heather Jenkins." She led him to the window and he shot out like a rocket, spreading his wings against the autumn wind as he took off towards the mountains. With anxiety in her heart, Leah made her way slowly back to Remus so they could walk each other to the common room. It was barely even noon, but he was already excited about the trip to Hogsmeade.

"Aren't I supposed to be the one who's dancing in anticipation?" She teased, watching him twitch. "You've been there a hundred times."

"Hogsmeade during Halloween is beautiful," Remus told Leah excitedly, grinning as they clambered into the portrait hole. "There are jack-o-lanterns everywhere, and they sing!"

"The pumpkins?"

"Yeah. They chant really spooky songs at night, to scare people." He handed her a large, foil-wrapped chocolate bar out of nowhere and smiled at her. "Here, have some chocolate, Leah. You, too, Sirius!" He tossed a bar to the boy who had been lounging in the loveseat, transfiguring anything he could point his wand at. Remus smiled as he caught it. "Happy Halloween."

"Thank you," Leah and Sirius said together. She slipped the candy into her mouth and smiled at the young werewolf. Seeing the usually calm, weary boy nearly skipping with excitement was infectious, and she could see Sirius grinning as well. Remus patted his pockets.

"Oops, I'm out of chocolate. I'll be right back, I have more upstairs!" He dashed up the steps to the boy's dormitories, and Leah chuckled as she sat next to Sirius. Sirius rolled his eyes.

"He has an entire drawer full of chocolate up there," Sirius muttered. "That's practically all he eats..."

"Don't tell him, but I'm not a huge fan of chocolate," Leah admitted. "I just don't have the heart to refuse him."

"My lips are sealed," he swore. "So, what's bothering you?"

"Hm?" She bit off another piece of her chocolate bar. "What do you mean? I'm fine."

"Don't give me that," he said, frowning. "Lily said you were acting strange this morning."

"I'm just a little homesick," she protested half-heartedly. Sirius said nothing more, not wanting to upset her, but he did wrap an arm around her shoulders, and Leah deeply appreciated the small act of comfort. Remus came back to them then, his arms full of chocolate bars, both half-eaten and untouched. He stopped at the sight of them, and Sirius cleared his throat, removing his arm from Leah's body.

"Did I interrupt something, you lovebirds, you?"

"No, nothing," Leah exclaimed, blushing as Sirius shook his head.

"Uh-huh... Why do I not believe you?" Remus laughed. "Leah and Sirius, sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-"

"Oh, that's mature," Leah grumbled, her cheeks darkening in color.

"Yeah, and he's always scolding _me_ for being childish," Sirius agreed.

"FIRST COMES LOVE," a new voice bellowed from the portrait hole. Leah and Sirius turned to see James striding in, Lily right behind him. They were both laughing. Lily winked at Leah.

"Then comes marriage," she chirped. Leah groaned.

"Not you, too, Lily!"

"Sorry, Leah, but you two are so cute together!"

"Oh, like you and James?" Lily's jaw dropped, her cheeks as red as her hair. Leah laughed. "Oh, how the tables have turned! What were you two off doing, anyway? Kissing in a broom closet somewhere?"

"Yeah, right!" Lily exclaimed, her arms folded over her chest. "Who'd want to kiss _this_ buffoon!"

"Harsh," Leah whispered to Sirius, as yet another argument broke out between James and Lily.

"Who're you calling a buffoon?"

"I agree," Sirius muttered back. "He's not that bad-looking."

Leah gave him a sidelong glance. "Well, why don't you go kiss him then?"

"Oi, maybe I will," he teased, grinning. He moved as if to jump over the back of the couch, but Leah pulled him back down, laughing loudly.

"No, no," she cried, as laughter split her sides. "I was just kidding!"

"Were you jealous? Here, I'll kiss you instead," he offered, taking one of her hands in both of his. Leah's heart stopped momentarily as he puckered his lips and leaned forward, and like slow-motion movies, she watched his face get closer, and closer... _It's just a game._ She stopped smiling abruptly and shoved his face away.

"I don't think so."

"Rejected," James snickered. "I think that's the first time I've seen you flat-out refused, Padfoot."

"It won't be the last," Lily snorted knowingly.

Leah saw the disappointment in his eyes, even as he smiled and laughed with everyone. He gave her an understanding look, and Leah forced herself to look away from the meaning behind it.

_It's not a game._

The hours passed slowly for the three Marauders, and for Leah and Lily. Noon became one, one became two, on and on until finally, the common room was full of bored Gryffindors, and the clock chimed nine times.

"Finally," Sirius sighed, slumping forward. "I'm about to fall asleep! Let's go already!"

"Yes, yes," Remus agreed, rising to his feet. "Let's!"

"Actually," James piped up, not looking up from his parchment, "I think I'm going to stay and help Lily decorate as soon as I'm done with this essay." Lily smiled at him- they had been happily working on their essays together, and it seemed like a sort of bonding.

"You're joking, right?" Sirius stared at him in disbelief. "You're going to do homework instead of getting ready to party?"

"Of course I'm joking," he replied, much to Lily's chagrin. "I'll do the essay later. Here-" He tossed Sirius a bundle of silvery cloth. "Have fun! Don't forget to go to Zonko's."

"Is that a-?" Leah gasped, reaching out hesitantly. "Is it really an Invisibility Cloak?"

"Yep." Sirius tossed it over himself. "Normally the three of us wouldn't fit underneath it at the same time, but since it's already dark out, it shouldn't be a problem."

"Awesome. Let's go!" Leah was now certain Remus' enthusiasm was contagious. She felt jittery- like a mix between being nervous and being really happy. Maybe it was because Sirius had just tried to kiss her.

_Oh wait,_ she realized. _That was hours ago. _The scene had been playing over and over in her mind since it happened, but the way he was acting- as if nothing happened- made her wonder if she'd imagined the whole thing. She tried not to think about that particular event, for surely her face would look- as Sirius had once put it- like a tomato, and she'd get teased even more. With a cheerful wave to James and Lily, she followed Remus and Sirius into the dimly lit corridor.

"So..." Leah followed quietly as the boys led the way, obviously knowing which ways to go even in the dark. "I take it you've done this before."

"Only... every weekend for pretty much the past 4 years," Sirius joked. "Who wants to laze about the castle all day? Hogsmeade is so much more fun. Ah, here we are." Finally paying attention to where they were going, Leah realized they now stood before an ugly statue of a one-eyed witch. She looked around in confusion.

"Um..."

"_Dissendium."_ Sirius tapped the witch with the tip of his wand and opened the hump on her back. "Check it out, Leah. It's a hidden path out of the castle!"

She peered down into it, but could see only darkness. "How exactly...?"

"WOOOOooooooo..!" Sirius' voice became quieter and quieter as he launched himself down what appeared to be a chute made of stone. Remus sighed.

"He'll be lucky if the people in Honeydukes don't hear his shouting... Well, off you go then," he said, as she reached in and felt around the smooth stone. Her first step forward sent her heart flying up into her throat as she dropped into the chute. She didn't want to scream, but it was building up in her lungs. Before she could let it out, the tunnel ended suddenly, and strong arms swept her up. The air left her lungs in a _whoosh._

"Good job," Sirius said, setting her back on her feet. "You didn't make a sound!"

"Incoming," Remus' voice echoed down the chute. They stepped to the side, and Leah chuckled breathlessly.

"That was fun! Can we do it again?"

"Maybe next time," Sirius laughed, slipping the Invisibility Cloak on. "We've got shopping to do!"

Remus and Leah waited impatiently for Sirius to give them the signal that the coast was clear, and when he did, they bolted up out of the cellar and into the store. Leah looked around at all the chocolates and other assorted candies, and then back to Remus who looked, literally, like a kid in a candy store. He circled every shelf twice before dropping his armful of candy onto the counter, and Leah laughed, picking out a few lollipops and other candies that Sirius said was a must-have.

"Chocolate frogs," he listed, throwing a few in her arms. "Bertie Bott's Every-Flavored Beans!"

When they left the store, she stuck one of her lollipops into her mouth. "Mmm, st'awbe'y," she said, unable to speak clearly around the candy. Sirius' eyes flashed.

"Hey, how did you know I loved strawberries?" Before Leah could protest, he snatched it from her hand and popped it into his mouth, lathering it in saliva before handing it back to her. "Er, I changed my mind, you can have it."

Leah shook it off lightly before sticking it back in her mouth. "Ew... Git."

"Look, they've lit the lanterns!" Remus exclaimed excitedly. The sky was dark and clear, with thousands and thousands of pricks of light, like glitter, scattered across the darkening velvet. There was a dull glow emanating from the small town of Hogsmeade.

"Amazing," she breathed, staring wide-eyed at the jack-o-lanterns that lined every road, all singing softly about the headless horseman and other spooky stories. The town was very active, although it was nearly ten at night, with people bustling about and talking merrily.

"It is," Remus agreed. "Let's go to Zonko's."

"Sure," Leah said, smiling softly. Both boys noticed that for some reason, the smile did not quite reach her eyes.

"Alright, the lady confirmed it." Sirius stepped forward, holding his arm out for Leah to take. She did, and smiled when Remus linked his arm to her left one so that they were all walking arm-in-arm. "To Zonko's!" Together, the three of them stopped in every shop and pub along the way, easily distracted from their target by window shopping. By the time they were finally finished, Leah ended up with an armful of assorted treats and new, fancy quills, while Sirius held an assortment of prank products.

"In any case, we should probably head back," Remus said, looking up at the rising moon.

Sirius glanced at his watch. "Blimey, it's already eleven!"

"James is going to get mad at us for being late if we don't hurry," Remus said.

"The prank products should help him cool down," Leah reminded him. "And I bought him a broom-shaped stick of taffy! Who could ever stay mad at a girl who buys you something as cool as that?" She turned to see that Remus had fallen behind slightly and paused to wait. "Oi, hurry, Remus! We're going to be late!" She laughed at the look on Sirius' face when she used his famous word. "Sorry, it just slipped out."

"Don't pick up on Sirius' habits," Remus begged, quickening his pace. "Please don't…anyone but Sirius…"

"What's that supposed to mean?" He smirked sexily at Leah. "I think it's cute."

Leah blushed and strode ahead of them in embarrassment. Sirius and Remus jogged to catch up, and soon they were chasing each other across Hogsmeade and into the Shrieking Shack, where they continued their game of tag up the dozen sets of stairs and into various empty rooms. Up and out from under the Whomping Willow they went, running across the grounds towards the castle. The game ended once they entered the Gryffindor common room, where James was waiting with his foot tapping impatiently.

"Where were you?" James asked hotly, taking the jokes from Sirius without question. Leah had barely managed to hand James her apology gift of taffy before Lily had snatched her aside and questioned her about her trip.

"_So are you and Sirius...?"_ She asked silently, her emerald eyes darting back and forth between her and the boy who was now pulling bottles of Firewhiskey out of his bag. Leah calmly stated that nothing had, or was going to happen, and that if Lily knew what was good for her, she should drop it.

Lily could take a hint. She immediately grabbed a bottle of Firewhiskey from a first year.

"I don't think so, mister!" As soon as she had her back turned, James handed him another bottle and winked.

"Drink up, mate."

"Hello, Sirius, Remus." Peter waved to them, and he turned his shy eyes to Leah. "Hello, Leah."

"Hi, Peter." Leah handed him a small white package. "I haven't seen you in awhile. Pumpkin pasty?"

"Thanks!" He snatched it away and took to nibbling it while he watched a game of Exploding Snap. Leah thought he looked rather like the rat she knew he could transform into. Once James got out the fireworks and magic tricks, the party really started. It wasn't until several hours, laughs, treats, and bottles of Firewhiskey later, that everyone finally staggered to their assorted beds.

"But Lils, I'm not even ssssleeeepy," James protested. He laughed at something only he found funny, and Lily rolled her eyes as she heaved him up the stairs.

"I liked you better when you were just an arrogant prat," she said, panting slightly. "I don't think I can handle a drunk _and _cocky James Potter."

"Aw," Sirius whined from his seat against Leah. "Don't pick on poor Jamesy! Don't worry, mate, I love you just the way you are! Glasses and all!"

"Heeey, what's wrong with my glasses?"

Lily sighed at him, exasperated. "Nothing, Potter. Black is just joking."

"Am not," the boy blurted from behind them. James began whining again and Lily shoved him unceremoniously onto the floor of the boys' dorm room, effectively shutting him up.

"There," she said, dusting her hands off. "Finally."

"I'll get Sirius," Remus assured Leah, who was looking down at her flirtatious and very, very drunk friend with a tired look in her eye. Remus put his wand away and rolled up his sleeves as she stood, helping Sirius to his feet. He stumbled and leaned on Leah for support.

"I thought you said you weren't drunk," Leah accused. Sirius chuckled.

"I lied," he drawled honestly, "but you can blame gravity if you want. It's pulling me dooown..." He sagged against her for emphasis, and she toppled over onto the couch with Sirius on top of her.

"Stop that," she said, trying not to laugh. "Remus! Take him away before he crushes me!"

"But I like it here," he murmured, and Leah could smell the Firewhiskey on his breath. Remus curled his arms under Sirius' armpits and heaved, barely managing to half-drag, half-carry the drunken boy up off of Leah and up the stairs. Leah shook her head fondly and began climbing the stairs to her own bed.

"Good night, Leah! Dream about me," Sirius called from his room. "Good dreams," he added. "Very good dreams... Sexy dreams!"

"Yeah, yeah... Good night, Sirius!" Leah couldn't help but laugh with Lily, who was giggling quietly at the top of the stairs. They heard a loud curse from Remus and a heavy thud, followed by James' boisterous laughter, and both the girls decided to go to bed before they were further witness to what could be murder.

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**A/N:** Ta-dah! My longest chapter yet! 4500 words! (o.o) Things are about to get a little more serious. Or should I say… Sirius? (Love that pun...) Stay tuned, readers! Thanks for reading, and as always, please review!


	7. Hope

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Marauders, but I sure wouldn't mind if I did. ;P They belong to J.K. Rowling. I do, however, own Leah Matthews and the other OCs. Don't steal, please!

**Girl of His Dreams**

**Chapter Seven: Hope**

The autumn weeks flew by on the icy breeze they brought with them, and as the days became shorter, the air grew colder and the nights became longer. It was practically winter, Leah thought to herself, as she passed by an open window in the hall. She looked down at the Potions exam in her hand, and the perfect score that was written boldly across the top of it. She giggled excitedly. She couldn't wait to tell the others at lunch. She checked her watch- she was right on time to meet Sirius by the Transfiguration room. Right as she stepped around the corner that would lead her to her destination, she heard a familiar feminine voice.

"Come on, Siri... let's go snog for a bit! There's a broom closet just around the corner, remember?"

Leah ducked back behind the stone wall, unsure of why she was hiding anyway, and glanced at the door labeled 'broom closet' with a look of disgust. With a sneaky glance back around the corner, she watched Sirius and a girl- _oh, it's that snob, Melaina_- conversing.

"Actually," Sirius said, looking around for help. "I'm waiting for my girlfriend."

Leah huffed. Either he was jumping to conclusions, or he was using her as an excuse for escape. Judging by the blatant look of disgust on his face, she'd guess the second one. Either way, she didn't like it. She folded her arms and grinned. She'd wait for a bit, and watch him squirm.

"Since when do you have a girlfriend?" Melaina asked, her hands on his chest coyly. She stared up at him, licking her lips seductively with a twisted smile on her face. "Whatever, what she doesn't know won't hurt her..."

"That's true," Sirius agreed, "but what she eventually finds out will hurt you. And me. Quite the violent type, she is."

Leah snickered at what she considered to be a compliment.

"She sounds... charming," Melaina scoffed sarcastically, her finger moving further and further down his chest. He knocked it away and took a step back, and Leah decided enough was enough.

"Sirius!" She clenched her Potions exam in her fist and ran toward him, a bright smile on her face. "Sorry I'm late! I was talking to the Professor." She leapt up into his arms, her legs wrapping around his waist as his arms wound around her body, pinning her close to him.

"Hello to you, too," he growled seductively, kissing her ear roughly. He grinned. "How did you do?"

"I aced it, of course," she replied happily, her cheeks flushed. _What are you doing?_ She asked. _It's just a show. Stop getting so worked up!_

"Of course you did," he replied, laughing. "I knew you could do it, babe!"

_This is pretend,_ Leah repeated. But it felt so real, and she didn't have to fake her smile, or the way her eyes lit up when he kissed her gently on the cheek. She turned to see Melaina staring at them with a shocked and disgusted look on her face.

"Oh, hi, Melaina. Sorry, did I interrupt something?"

"No, of course not… I just didn't know you two were actually dating," she replied.

"Oh, he didn't tell you?" Leah asked, raising a brow at Sirius. He grinned up at her in response.

"Sorry, love. I figured the entire school knew, by now."

She kissed the tip of his nose. "Who in their right minds could resist the handsome Sirius Black?" She asked Melaina, laughing. "I know one thing, he certainly can't keep his paws off me!" The anger returned in Melaina's eyes and as Sirius hid his laughter in her shoulder, the dark-haired witch stammered something about having to meet someone and stormed off.

"You owe me," she said firmly, dropping her messenger bag so she could pry herself away from him. "Now put me down, please."

"Look, they are dating!"

"I knew it!"

"You owe me two sickles, Dane!"

Leah blushed and they turned to see a large group of Gryffindors standing in the doorway of the Transfiguration room, all staring at the couple. She glared at Sirius half-heartedly.

"This is all your fault. Now the whole school really is going to think we're dating... Put me down."

"I don't know, Leah, I think I like the idea of the school thinking that." He smiled innocently at her, but set her down all the same. "Alright, alright…" While he collected their scattered belongings, Leah turned to the crowd of sixth years in the classroom.

"Oi, what are you looking at, you little gits?" They scrambled back into the classroom and she laughed evilly, turning back to Sirius as he held out her messenger bag. She stopped when she realized he was smiling at her. "What?"

"Oh, sorry!" He laughed lightly and handed her the book bag she had unceremoniously dumped at his feet. "Here you go. I was just thinking."

"Uh-oh."

"Cranky today, aren't you?" He glanced back at the fourth years in the doorway, who looked too scared to come out. "Those poor kids."

Leah folded her arms across her chest in indignation and started the trek to the Great Hall. "Sheesh, this is what I get for doing you a favor?"

"Yeah, yeah…By the way, nice dog pun. I can't keep my paws off you, eh?"

"It was a nice touch, if I don't say so myself."

He ruffled her hair affectionately and rubbed his arms as they took the outside shortcut. "Blimey, it's getting really cold…"

"Christmas is in a month, of course it's going to get cold. It snowed a bit yesterday, but it all got blown away..." Leah shrugged. "This is nothing compared to Alaska. It's practically bikini weather!" Sirius wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close against his side.

"Keep me warm," he teased. "You have enough body heat for the both of us."

"Oh, thank you," Leah said sarcastically. They quickened their pace until they were inside again, and the heat from the castle seemed to thaw them immediately. "Oh look, there's Remus!" She waved and sat beside him, greeting Lily and James as Sirius sat beside her.

"How was your Potions exam?" Remus handed her plate of toast. "I'm sure you got a perfect score as usual."

"I did," Leah said, accepting a piece. "I didn't think I would, though, some of the recipes were switched around to trick me."

"Look, that's Sirius' new girlfriend." Leah heard the hushed voice and turned her head slightly to see Melaina pointing at her. The girl with too much makeup that sat beside Melaina, laughed.

"No way! _That's_ his flavor of the week? What's so special about her?"

All who heard watched as Leah's smile faded and her eyes narrowed sadly. Sirius pretended like he hadn't heard the girls, and finished his egg-on-toast sandwich.

"Here, Leah, try a bite. It's delicious."

"Um... Okay." Leah leaned over and bit into the sandwich, her mouth watering immediately. "Oh, wow, that is good."

"_He looks like he really, really likes her, though_," Melaina's friend added suddenly. Sirius smiled as Leah bit into her own ham and Swiss sandwich, knowing by the new smirk on her face that she, too, had heard the last part. Suddenly, a loud screech rang through the air, and a swarm of owls swooped through the windows to deliver assorted mail. Leah blinked slowly as an unexpected letter dropped in front of her. She glanced at the front, dropping her sandwich as though it had burned her.

"It's from Heather," she exclaimed happily. Unable to keep the grin from her face, she tore through the envelope and unfolded the letter. It had been a month since Leah had written, and when she hadn't gotten a reply within a few weeks, she'd thought the worst. Now, all her fears had dissipated, and she could already imagine her little adopted sister's voice.

_Leah!_

_You're such an idiot, you know that? Why'd you have to go and get yourself expelled? I miss you so much. It's so boring here, and you're having all the fun in the world. I'm so jealous! Maybe I oughta go to England, too, and meet this Remus guy. He sounds very nice. Is he hot?_

_I'm doing fine, so stop your worrying, okay? It's taken so long for me to write back, I know. We had to move again, and we couldn't contact anyone for awhile, but we'll make it. Just have fun while you're there. This is your last year in school, make some nice memories! That way you can tell me all about them when you get back. I'm sure, like always, I won't be able to get you to shut up. _

_So, now to more 'Sirius' matters… That's such a cool pun, you should use it more. Anyway… I have reasonable suspicion that you, my dear friend, are in love. _

Leah blushed and leaned back slightly to make sure no one else was reading over her shoulder, though the current topic of the letter was stuffing his face, oblivious to her embarrassment.

_It's obvious. And you've never really had a boyfriend, so why not go for it? I haven't heard much about him… Tell me more! I want to know how he acts around you, what he's into, everything! He might be my brother-in-law someday. Ha-ha. Just kidding… Maybe… Tell everyone I said hi, and thank them for taking such good care of you, okay? I'm sure you're babying Remus the same way you spoiled me, so stop it! He can take care of himself! He's a big boy now. And before you start- I know. You can't help it. Oh well, I'm sure he enjoys it anyway._

_Write me back soon or else!_

_Love, Heather_

Leah shook her head, smiling, and placed the carefully folded letter into her bag. Remus glanced up from his biscuits to smile at her.

"How is she doing?"

"Good. She says I should stop babying you."

"Aw," he whined. "Does that mean no more belly rubs?"

Sirius dropped his sandwich in shock. "You give him belly rubs? How come I don't get belly rubs?"

"He was joking, Sirius," Leah assured him, laughing out loud.

"You're so mean," Sirius pouted, picking up his sandwich once more. Leah huffed.

"You know, I'm actually quite nice. It's those rumors you tell other girls that make me seem awful," she pointed out.

"You're the only girl they won't mess with," Sirius said in his defense. "Besides, you're the only girl I actually trust in this school, besides Lily. And I really only trust her to get angry at me and James, so that still leaves you." James laughed as the red-head beside him gave Sirius an indignant glare.

"It's true, Evans."

"Maybe if you two weren't such bullies, I wouldn't have to be angry at you!"

"Alright, alright." Leah sighed and glanced at her pumpkin juice. "What you said to Melaina was pretty clever, though, Sirius."

"Oi, you heard that?" Realization dawned on him. "You were there the whole time?"

"Not the whole time, _Siri._ Just most of the time."

"Don't call me that," he said, shuddering. "If you hadn't shown up, she probably would have attacked me and had her way with me in the hallway."

"Oohh, kinky," Leah replied jokingly. Sirius' eyes widened as he inhaled a large bite of egg, and he started choking. Leah snickered at his reaction, while Remus just reached around and smacked Sirius on the back until the egg flew out of his lung… and hit Melaina in the face.

"Ew!" She incinerated it with her wand and sent a threatening glare at Leah, who was laughing uncontrollably. Sirius was laughing as well, but he covered it up with coughing.

"S-Sorry, Melaina... Wrong tube." He coughed again for emphasis.

"I'm going to go write Heather back," Leah said, snickering as she returned Melaina's death glare. "I'll be in the common room if you need me, guys!"

"Alright," they agreed. Leah waved to them all, and cast Sirius one last glance, her eyes sparkling happily, before she disappeared into the main hall.

"If you don't see it by now, you never will," Remus said suddenly. Sirius scowled and pushed his plate away, no longer hungry.

"I know, I know… I'm just waiting for the right moment."

* * *

**A/N:** (2200 words) Yay, the sixth chapter is up! (PS: to all you reviewers that read the old one... can you believe I edited and rewrote chapters 2-9 all in one night so far? **I'm on a roll!**) To you new-comers... This next chapter is mostly Leah's letter to Heather. Stay tuned to find out what Leah truly thinks of Hogwarts! (And Sirius.) Thanks, and PLEASE review! They keep me warm at night, and I live in Alaska, so I need as much warmth as I can get!


	8. It's A Date

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Marauders, but I sure wouldn't mind if I did. ;P They belong to J.K. Rowling. I do, however, own Leah Matthews and the other OCs. Don't steal, please!

**Girl of His Dreams**

**Chapter Eight: It's a Date**

Once Leah arrived at the common room, she plopped down at one of the tables and dug her favorite 'Flavored Ink' quill out of her messenger bag, eager to begin her letter back to home to Heather. She gave the tip of her quill a solid lick- "Mmm, cherry!"- and flattened a strip of parchment on the table.

"Hmm, where to start?"

_Dear Heather,_ she wrote neatly,

_I miss you, too. You have no idea! It's fun hanging out with Sirius and the others, but I haven't forgotten about you, I swear. I guess I'll tell you a little bit about Sirius, since you asked so nicely... well, where do I start?_

Leah thought for a moment, unsure of what exactly to write about. There were many sides to Sirius Black: he was goofy, loveable, childish, and fun- but he was also a loyal friend, and could be mature when it mattered.

_I think his best trait is that he sees the fun in life, even if it's invisible to everyone else, you know? He's funny, and brilliant. He's not a fan of books, but when it comes to causing trouble, he's incredibly clever. He became an animagus in his fifth year! Can you believe that? It takes a 'Sirius' amount of skill to become an animagus! (There, are you happy? I used the pun.) He, James, and Peter all became animagi so that they could transform with Remus. I feel so stupid for not thinking about it before now! That's such a good idea. Maybe I should do that, too._

_But then, what animal would I be? Sirius is a dog, James is a stag, and Peter is a rat. What an odd group, don't you think? Can you imagine people seeing them together! I can just imagine little Peter riding on James' back, while Sirius chases some poor cat up a tree. I'm laughing just thinking about it!_

_Sirius has a cousin named Bellatrix, who absolutely hates my guts. I don't mind, though, because she's the stuck up rich-kid type, who has a posse of mindless clones. They're all a bunch of freaks who are really into Dark Magic and all that. She's the one who told the school about why I was expelled. Sirius hates her, too. You know, when we first met, he told me his mother was dead (or so he hoped). Turns out, she's not. His family is made up of twisted, dark witches and wizards, so Sirius ran away to go live with James. Apparently he'd been disowned, but he couldn't be happier._

_Today, I pretended to be Sirius' girlfriend so that this girl named Melaina would stop hitting on him. He told her we were going out, so I played along. It was fun- I wonder if he knew I wasn't doing any pretending. It all felt real to me. Is that weird? And on Halloween, he tried to kiss me. I stopped him, because he's known for being a player. Remus told me the rumors weren't true, and I believe him, but sometimes I feel like he's just playing around, so I don't want to get too into it._

_After all, he's popular, and handsome, and smart, and funny... He's got amazing friends. What could he possibly see in me, the plain, American wolf-lover? (That's my nickname here, now, thanks to Bellatrix.) One of the girls at lunch today thought it was funny, too. Melaina told her that Sirius and I were dating and she called me the "flavor of the week," and asked what was so special about me. I don't know. He teases me a lot, but somehow he always knows how to cheer me up when I'm homesick or something._

_It's all so complex. I usually talk it over with Remus- he's amazing when it comes to giving advice. Well, if anything else happens, I'll write about it right away! I promise!_

_Best wishes from all of us,_

_Leah_

_(PS: Yes, Remus is hot. Not as hot as Sirius in my opinion, but still fairly hot. His hair is already graying a bit, but I think it makes him look more manly. I'll send a picture next time you write, okay? I love you!)_

Leah smiled as she waved the letter in the air, drying the ink before she rolled it up into a scroll. She stacked her books, humming happily, but when she turned to grab her messenger bag, she noticed there was a pair of shiny black shoes beside them. Her humming stopped abruptly, and she looked up- it was none other than Sirius Black. His gray eyes were staring blankly at her letter. A jolt of fear shot through her heart. Had he read it?

_No way, _she told herself. _It's already rolled up! He couldn't have been standing there the whole time! ... Could he?_

"Sirius!" She pushed him playfully. "Don't sneak up on me like that, you scared me!"

"Sorry," he said, shaking himself out of his reverie and returning her smile. "I didn't mean to."

"Well, you're just in time to walk with me to the Owl Room," she told him, scooping up her belongings into her arms. "Want to?"

"Sure." He grabbed her bag despite her protests, carrying it for her politely as they made their way out of the common room and into the corridor. Their walk started slowly and silently, and Leah couldn't shake the feeling that Sirius had been standing there longer than she thought. She looked around for something, anything she could use to start a conversation. Suddenly, a group of posters on the wall caught her eye and she pointed them out to break the awkward silence.

"Quidditch tryouts start soon," she cheered, stopping to check the dates and available positions. "It's starting a bit late this year; because of the weather, I heard... Are you going to try out?"

"I'm a veteran Gryffindor beater," he boasted. "No one's better than me; I don't need to try out."

"I'm going for chaser. I wanted the beater position, too," she admitted, laughing and brushing her hair behind her ear, "but compared to the competition, like you and Dane, I'm not nearly strong enough for it."

"I'll cheer for you," he promised, winking at her. "Dane is a weak little git- he won't last two days." His eyes moved to the other poster, which was bigger, and was written in silver and golden ink that looked as though it was covered in glitter, as well. Leah followed his gaze and read the sign aloud.

"Masquerade Ball," she murmured to herself. "Yeah, have you heard about it? It's to celebrate the 'Union of the Houses,' or whatever." She curled her fingers into air-quotes as she resumed walking. "Dane asked me the other day, but I turned him down."

"Good."

"Huh?" Leah glanced up at Sirius. "What do you mean?"

"Are you daft? Because you're going with me, of course." He stared at the curvy golden lettering for a moment, then continued walking down the corridor without another word, his long-legged stride easily catching up to Leah's pace. She looked up at him in astonishment.

"That's extremely presumptuous of you," she groused. "What if I refuse?"

"_Are_ you refusing?" He asked. "Blimey, I've had all sorts of gits asking if you and I were actually dating so that they could ask you to the Ball. The entire school thinks we're a bloody couple, thanks to Melaina's big mouth, you know."

"Thanks to you," she corrected, frustrated. "We don't have to go together for the sake of your reputation... I'm sure you'd have no trouble finding another girl to go with- it's still two weeks away."

"That's true. And you'd definitely find another guy to go with if I did pick someone else... but I don't want to go with another girl, I want to go with you."

Her heart thumped unsteadily in her chest at the sincerity of the words. "Why?"

He just shook his head and smiled, something light and mysterious glowing in his eyes. Leah thought she could read those same old words within them, repeating like a strange song.

_It's not a game._

_Then what is it?_ Leah sighed, allowing a small smile to grace her lips. "Alright, I'll go with you, since you asked so nicely. As long as we can crash it. I always hated school dances."

Sirius grinned broadly.

_"It's a date."_

* * *

**A/N:** My shortest chapter without a doubt! (1500 words) People who read the previous version are going "Heeey, where's the makeout scene? And where the hell did this Masquerade Ball show up from?" Well, I honestly thought they were getting together too soon, and I was reading the Yule Ball scene from the Goblet of Fire... All I can say is, inspiration struck. Trust me, the snogging will happen! Just not now. Soon! I promise. Thank you so much for reading, and PLEASE REVIEW!


	9. Welcome To The Masquerade

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Marauders, but I sure wouldn't mind if I did. ;P They belong to J.K. Rowling. I do, however, own Leah Matthews and the other OCs. Don't steal, please!

**Girl of His Dreams**

**Chapter Nine: Welcome to the Masquerade**

Leah was never fond of dresses- completely impractical, they were. All they did was restrict movement. And high heels? They were just a pair of death traps waiting to happen. Call her over-dramatic if you wish, but Leah just couldn't understand the use of shoes that were designed to physically impair you. Lily was happy, of course, to supply her with the textbook answer.

"You see, Leah, high heels are useful for many things: for one, they accentuate your curves. They lift up your rump, and make you stand straight with your chest puffed out. They give you a few inches of extra height, too, and make your legs look longer." Lily twirled in her tiny black heels, looking at her legs in one of the several small mirrors that had been placed around the shoe store.

"All these shoes do is lie," Leah grumbled. "They either make me look bigger, better, or taller. I shouldn't be forced to wear lies. Especially not lies with bows on them."

"Well, I'm not going to let you wear your worn-out flats with a nice dress," Lily told her. "Doesn't even a small bit of you want to dress up and look like a princess? Sirius Black could be your Prince Charming."

"I'd rather be the dragon in that particular story," Leah confessed, sighing romantically. "Ahh, to be a dragon... Dragons don't have to wear dresses." Lily rolled her jade-colored eyes, and Leah folded her arms across her chest, an accusatory glare on her face. "You know, I was under the distinct impression that you didn't like Sirius, Lily... or James, for that matter. What changed?"

"I don't know what you're talking about! I can't stand that toe-rag," she huffed. "And Sirius may be an immature git, but he's less of a moron when he's with you. I think you're cute together."

Leah rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say, Lily."

"What color do you want to wear?" She asked, peering at the assorted colors the store offered. "Purple? You looked really good in that sweater I let you borrow forever ago."

Leah shuddered at the memory. "Umm... how about blue?

"To match your eyes? What a great idea!" Lily tossed her a pair of navy blue shoes. "Here, try these on!"

**Moments later... **"My toes are being squished together."

"Would you stop being a baby about this?"

"... I have sensitive toes."

"I can_not_ believe you right now," Lily muttered, shaking her head. "Are you being serious?"

"No, I'm being Leah," she replied. "Sirius is probably having much, much more fun at the moment."

Several hours and a few arguments later (for Lily didn't even _like_ that pun), Lily bought herself an outfit, and Leah somehow managed to find both a dress and a pair of shoes that she could stand. Buying their dresses at the last minute was risky, as most of the good dresses had been bought already, but Lily refused to go shopping without Leah, and Leah was prolonging the inevitable for as long as she could. It wasn't long after they left the tailor that the icy winds picked up, and they wandered through the streets of Hogsmeade, enduring it with the rest of the students. Once they made it back to the castle- without frostbite, much to Leah's relief- they dragged their bags up to the common room and lay their dresses out on their beds.

"I'm so excited," Lily gushed, picking up her brush and running it repeatedly through her hair. "I'm kind of nervous, too, though. Are you nervous?"

"About what?"

"Oh, you know... dancing with Sirius?"

"Why is that something to be nervous about? It's just Sirius." Leah was surprised her false bravado wasn't found out immediately- her stomach was so full of butterflies she thought she could probably puke up a whole lot of them, but truthfully, she didn't want to find out.

_Such an interesting experiment it would be,_ Leah thought to herself. Lily sighed heavily, pulling Leah from her thoughts.

"I guess you're right. Yeah!" Lily stomped her foot. "I don't need to be nervous! It's just Potter, after all. I don't know what I was thinking! Thanks, Leah."

_I may have been lying to myself,_ Leah lamented, _but at least it helped someone else._

"I'm going to go downstairs," Leah called, as Lily hopped into the shower. "I'll get in after you."

"Alright! Be out in a jiff!"

"Hello, Leah." Remus greeted her warmly as she descended the stairway, and Leah realized he was already in his dress robes. They were a deep maroon color, and his white, lacy undershirt matched him perfectly to the Victorian Era-theme of the Ball. His golden hair was tied back at the nape of his neck in a short ponytail, and Leah thought he looked rather like a vampire, not a werewolf.

"You look positively dashing," Leah exclaimed, faking a British accent. Remus laughed.

"The others are still in Hogsmeade, buying Firewhiskey. Don't drink the punch," he hinted conspiratorially, glancing up at the clock. Leah chuckled, and Remus was able to tell instantly that she was a nervous wreck. "Would it help if I reminded you that it was only Sirius?"

"I've been telling myself that all day," she muttered, stuffing her hands in her pockets. "I even told Lily that, only about James. Cheered her right up, but me... I'm still feeling like I swallowed a thousand rabid butterflies."

"Rabid butterflies...?" Remus scratched his chin in thought. "Those can't be that dangerous..."

"But they are," she whined pitifully. "They fly down into your stomach and eat out your insides until you're nothing but a gutless coward."

"I think," he said knowingly, "that once you two actually meet tonight, you'll fall right into your usual selves. He's been fairly nervous as well."

"Has he?" Leah smiled. "At least I'm not the only one. Do you know when he's going to be back?"

As if on cue, the Portrait swung open and the Marauders- minus Remus- clambered in, laughing and joking about their plans to crash the Ball. Sirius shivered, rubbing his arms for warmth.

"Blimey, I hate the cold..."

"You're not the only one," Leah called to him. Sirius brightened at the sight of his date.

"How can you hate the cold?" He asked jokingly. "You moved here from Alaska. Didn't you, like... live in an igloo?"

"Oh, haha! Like I haven't heard that one before..." **(A/N:** _I really do get that question all the time. It's quite annoying._**)**

He plopped onto the couch beside her with a grin. "Did you get your dress?"

"I did. I think it's pretty, as far as dresses go," she replied sheepishly. "Did you get your dress robes?"

"Dress robes? Um, no. Have you seen those things?" He shuddered. "Lace is for girls. I got a tux."

"Lace isn't just for girls," Remus protested, looking down at his robes with a frown. "Leah said I looked dashing." Leah tuned out their impending argument and imagined Sirius in an old black tuxedo, his hair tied at the nape of his neck and pulled over his shoulder to fall casually down his chest- she could already imagine the way his eyes would sparkle at her from behind his mysterious mask. It was truly a sight to behold.

"Um... Leah?"

"Hm?"

"You've, uh..." Remus pointed to his lip. "You've got a bit o' drool there."

James grinned. "You were picturing ol' Padfoot in a tux, weren't you?"

"Absolutely not," she lied, hastily wiping her mouth.

"Oi, what color is your dress, anyway?" Sirius tilted his head. "I want my tie to match your dress."

"That's so bloody cuuute," James simpered. "LEAH AND SIRIUS SITTING IN A TREE! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

"Not this again," Leah grumbled, her blush darkening as other Gryffindors in the common room turned to see what the commotion was about. Remus jumped in as soon as James was finished, and they threw their arms around each other, bellowing as loud as they could in a horrible duet.

"First comes love," Remus sang.

"Then comes MARRIAGE," James shouted.

"Then comes a baby in a baby carriage," they finished together. The room was full of both applause and laughter, and Leah covered her face with her hands.

"Words cannot describe how much I hate you two right now," she growled. She turned to Sirius. "It's dark blue."

"Leah! Um, you should probably get up here! Now," Lily called from the dormitory doorway. Leah headed up the stairs to see what the fuss was about.

"I'll see you all at the Ball, you guys!"

"I'll be the best-looking guy there," Sirius called back. James and Remus dove right into that argument, each proclaiming their own studliness to be greater than the other two's. Leah rolled her eyes and entered her room, her gaze falling immediately to the dress she had laid out on her bed. The navy blue gown that was now, despite all logical reasoning, a dreadfully bright shade of pink. Lily laughed nervously.

"It was like this when I got out of the shower, I swear!"

Leah stared at it in horror. She was _not_ wearing that to the Ball, and it was beyond too late to get a new one.

"What... the _hell_... happened to my dress?" She ran over to it and inspected it closely, but there was no sign of it being moved or switched out. This was the exact dress she had bought- it was just suddenly, inexplicably, a different color. A worse color. Leah folded her arms stubbornly. "I'm not wearing this."

"Alright, calm down," Lily soothed. "Let's just try charming it back to it's original color, okay?"

In the end, every color-changing charm known to man- err, wizard- wasn't enough to full restore it to it's regal blue color. Much to Leah's outrage, the blue mixed with the pink, and after what seemed like hours, it finally settled for a dark, majestic purple. Lily charmed Leah's shoes black in order to match, and overall, the combination looked good on her- but that wasn't point.

"When I find out who did this," Leah scowled, folding her bare arms across her chest, "I'm going to raise Hell on Earth! I swear I will!"

"I don't doubt it," Lily assured her, lifting her roomate's blonde locks up into fancy curls on top of her head. She pinned it with a thin barrette and started on another one. "It had to be one of the girls in our room."

"Melaina," Leah hissed instantly. "That little _bitch!" _She knew sharing a room with that skank was a bad idea.

"Leah! You don't know that it was Melaina for sure," Lily scolded. "Here, hold this for me... Thank you. That was the last one! What do you think?"

Leah turned to look at herself in the mirror, and was surprised by the beautiful young woman she saw in her own reflection. She stared at it suspiciously.

"That's really what I look like?" She asked. "You didn't charm the mirror?"

"Nope. That's all you," Lily replied happily, studying her friend's reaction. Leah's hair was done up in a high ponytail, and then strands of it had been twisted and pinned into place to create a sort of messy bun that was made of several spirals of hair. Her bangs were the same as usual, except for two long chunks that were left out of the bun and curled into ringlets to frame her face.

"It looks amazing, Lily, thank you so much." Leah was still pissed about the dress, but even though it was purple, it looked great. It was strapless and layered, and Leah had given it her own personal touch in order to give it a more gothic appearance. Some black netting to cover the skirts, and a large black ribbon that was tied around her waist with a loose bow in the back. She slipped on her black gloves, stretching them just past her elbows. Leah laughed, lifting her leg to admire the short black heels and the lacy black hem of her dress.

"I look creepy," she said, snapping open her feathery black fan. "I like it."

"You look like some sort of witch," Lily agreed jokingly. Her own dress was as vivid green as her eyes, and was just a simple satin gown that blossomed from the hips into a cascade of lacey layers. Two strips of her fiery red hair had been pulled back to encompass the rest, which flowed in elegant waves down her bare back. Lily slipped her emerald mask on, charming it temporarily to her face. "How do I look?"

"Stunning," Leah told her, giggling. She settled her own black mask into place. "Shall we?"

"We shall," Lily agreed, moving to the door. "Let's go knock over some Marauders!"

When they arrived at the Great Hall, Leah immediately spotted Melaina by the door. Melaina looked up as she passed, a mock pout on her face as she examined Leah's dress.

"Aw, what's the matter?" She asked snobbishly. "You didn't like the shade of pink I worked so hard to make for you?"

"I hope you didn't work too hard," Leah shot back venomously, as Lily dragged her away. "It was truly the ugliest thing I'd ever seen. You have absolutely no taste!"

"Save it for after the dance," Lily advised quietly. "We're here to have fun, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah..." Leah peered through the crowds, but couldn't see anyone wearing a tux. Crimson robes and golden hair flashed by the corner of her eye, and she turned to see Remus by the punch bowl. She dashed- well, as much as anyone can dash in a dress- over to meet him. "Remus!"

"Merlin, is that you, Leah?" Remus grinned, looking her up and down. "I could hardly tell. And I thought you weren't a fan of purple..."

"Yeah, well, I'm not a fan of dresses, either," she replied grumpily. "I decided to make this experience as unpleasant as possible. Is Sirius here, yet?"

"Right behind you," a voice murmured in her ear. Leah squeaked and turned around, and was happy to see that Sirius looked exactly as she'd pictured him. She grinned.

"You clean up very well," she complimented. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised."

"And you," he replied huskily, "are the most beautiful thing in this room. I thought you said your dress was blue." He glanced down at his navy blue tie and quickly changed it to a color that was relatively close to lavender.

"It was," she replied, giggling as Sirius spun her into his arms and swept her out onto the dance floor. "You and Melaina must have been a match made in Heaven."

"What does that have to do with your dress?" He asked, gripping her waist firmly with one hand and taking one of her gloved hands in his other. "I thoroughly deny that statement by the way."

"It seems she likes playing pranks as well," Leah retorted bitterly. "She turned it the ugliest shade of pink I'd ever seen. Both Lily and I together couldn't get it back to its original color."

"I'm not sorry at all to hear it," he confessed. "You look amazing."

"Thanks." She blushed as he they swayed to the music, each twirl bringing them closer and closer together. The hours passed slowly, much to Leah's relief. She never wanted this night to end- Sirius was being uncharacteristically romantic, as though he were truly trying to woo her. During one of their breaks from dancing, he conjured a deep red rose from thin air and handed it to her.

"For you."

"Why thank you," she replied, taking it and bringing it up to her nose. It smelled wonderful. He held his hand out once more, and she took it, smiling. "Another dance?"

"Another dance," he agreed, swinging her backwards into a dip, his lips just inches from hers. His smile broadened into a grin so wide it reminded Leah of the Cheshire cat. "What?"

"You're wearing strawberry lip gloss," he told her. "I can smell it."

"What about it?"

He pulled her back up into his arms. "You know how much I love strawberries," he murmured, his voice practically a purr.

Leah blushed crimson. Truthfully, she had not been thinking of that when she put it on, but now...

Sirius chuckled. "As if I wasn't going to have a hard enough time resisting."

"Then give in," she breathed coyly, wrapping her arms around his neck. She didn't know what she was doing, but she liked her sudden swell of courage. Sirius lowered his head without a second thought, and the meeting of their lips sent jolts down Leah's spine. It was... well, magical. She tangled her hands in his hair as he pulled her impossibly closer to his body, his fingers digging into her hips.

"Miss Matthews! Mister Black, stop this innappropriate display at once," a shrill voice demanded. Leah and Sirius broke apart reluctantly, still gazing raptly into each other's eyes. Professor McGonagall cleared her throat. "Miss Matthews, we need to talk. Let's go to my office."

"What?" Leah's entire being felt fuzzy, and she shook herself out of her reverie. "Why?"

"It'd be better if we talked alone," she replied, glancing pointedly at Sirius. He nodded, his eyes still on Leah's.

"I'll, uh... go get some punch then," he said breathlessly. Leah nodded, moving to follow McGonagall as she headed briskly toward the door.

"I'll be right back," she assured him, smiling. Despite the fact that McGonagall's face was more serious than she'd ever seen it, Leah was on Cloud Nine. She felt like she was levitating herself behind McGonagall, and Leah wondered just what this meeting could be about. She hoped it was thoroughly worth ending that kiss. Had she failed one of her exams? No, that definitely wasn't it.

"Miss Matthews," McGonagall started, "I'm afraid I have some bad news." Leah looked back the way they had come. They had barely made it ten yards out of the Great Hall- she could still see Sirius and Remus, who were both looking at her. Leah turned back to McGonagall.

"Bad news," she echoed, "What bad news? What's happened?"

She handed Leah a torn, wrinkled envelope. "It's Miss Jenkins... I'm afraid she's- she's no longer with us."

"That can't be." Leah took the letter with shaking hands, unable to believe the words coming out of her Professor's mouth. It was written sloppily, with smudged ink and tear stains. Leah's heart began to race within her chest, pounding so painfully against her ribs she feared they might break. "No, this isn't possible. How did you-?"

"I'm sorry to have ruined your evening with such tragic news," McGonagall said, encasing her in a brief hug. Even the elder woman's voice shook with sorrow. "I thought it best to tell you as soon as possible."

"No," Leah sobbed, breaking out of the embrace. Tears streaked down her face, and no matter how many times she wiped her eyes, they always came back. "No, no, NO!"

"Leah!" Sirius had left the party to check on her. "Wh-What's wrong? What happened?"

"Heather," Leah moaned, clenching the letter in her fist. She shook her head and ran, skirts in hand. She pushed past the great wooden doors that led out into the night, and kept running despite the way the air threatened to freeze her solid. There was snow fluttering all around her, speckling her hair and shoulders- it would have been beautiful, if Leah wasn't so broken. She sobbed hoarsely and felt her toes go numb in the few inches of snow that already littered the ground.

"Why?" She cried, collapsing to her knees. "Why wasn't I there? Why wasn't I there?" The guilt was overwhelming, like Death himself had his hand around her heart and was crushing it in his fist with excruciating slowness.

"Leah!" Sirius stumbled out into the snow behind her, his hands gripping her shoulders tightly. They felt like fire on her already icy skin as he brushed away the snowflakes. "Leah, sweetheart, tell me what's wrong. Please?"

"Leave me alone," she murmured, staring up at the moon, which was just a tiny sliver in the sky. She could barely even see it through the clouds. "It's all my fault."

"What is? What happened?"

"She's dead, Sirius..." Her voice was hollow. "Heather's dead."

* * *

**A/N:** (3500 words) I know, I'm a horrible person. Some of you may call it murder... but I call it plot! The title is based off of a song with the same name, by Thousand Foot Krutch. Thanks for reading, PLEASE REVIEW! (Every review will help give me the power to summon the Necronomicon, so that we can bring Heather back to life! lulz)


	10. Prelude to War

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Marauders, but I sure wouldn't mind if I did. ;P They belong to J.K. Rowling. I do, however, own Leah Matthews and the other OCs. Don't steal, please!

**Girl of His Dreams**

**Chapter Ten: Prelude to War**

The death of her best friend- no, her sister- put many things into perspective for Leah, but she couldn't help the way the life seemed to seep out of her, leaving her a weak, hollow shell of the girl she was before. She'd eventually returned to her bedthat night, but three, five, seven days passed like an eternity, and she had yet to summon the strength to stand. She barely slept- her nightmares woke her immediately if she closed her eyes longer than a few minutes.

Heather's last letter was still sitting on Leah's bedside table, right next to the framed photograph that was now turned down, where Leah didn't have to see the kind, smiling girl that, thanks to those damned Hunters, would never smile again.

She'd never do anything again.

_Leah, _the letter said,

_I'm so sorry. They've found us this time. They're already one their way, and there's nothing we can do. I regret nothing, Leah, because I had a wonderful friend and great parents, all of whom gave me everything I could hope for. I love you so much, my sister. I hope you understand one day that this isn't your fault, because I know you. You will take this burden, and you will bear it alone. That's just who you are._

Leah looked up at the top of her canopy bed, not really seeing anything, but looking anyway. She had memorized the note, word for word, and now it replayed over and over like a broken record in her mind.

_Not many of my kind get last words, Leah. I have a chance to say something, knowing that I won't live long. So, with my last moments, I'm writing to you. Because I believe that you are strong enough to do what I want you to do. Are you asking yourself what it is that I want you to do? Well, figure it out. You're smart enough to at least solve that puzzle. _

_I've wanted to give up all my life. I hate fear, but that's what surrounds me every minute of every day. There are days when I've wanted to call the Hunters on myself, just to end all the stupid hiding. I didn't, though. Do you remember what you said to me when I told you I didn't want to live in fear? You said,_

_"Don't be stupid, Heather. How you live is up to you. You were unlucky enough to be given this curse, but if you want to be afraid of it, that's up to you. It's a part of you, whether you like it or not, so deal with it."_

_You've always been so strong. I know you'll get over this. I know you will. Because of you, I wasn't afraid... Can you believe I'm not afraid now, either? _

_I have to go, or the owl will be seen. Don't forget, under any circumstances, that you are my sister and I love you. _

_Your sister,_

_Heather_

"Leah." Lily was back, for what seemed like the hundredth time that day, with a tray of food. "I know that you're sad, Leah, but starving yourself is pointless. Please, eat something. Anything, just put something in your stomach. It's been a week, and you look like a bloody dementor."

Leah said nothing. It was merely routine at this point. Lily knew full-well that Leah wouldn't touch it.

"Well, I'll leave it here, then," Lily sighed. "Sirius is worried sick, you know."

_I just ran out on him,_ Leah reminded herself. _I told him this whole year had been nothing- that here I was, wasting my time with him, when my sister had been in trouble. _She frowned.

_I remember the look in his eyes,_ she thought. _When we kissed, he looked happy. As though he'd finally found something he'd been looking for. _Leah wondered if she had been wearing that same look. Where was he now? Was he as worried as Lily made it seem? Or was he angry that Leah had taken her anger out on him?

"I owe him an apology," she whispered hoarsely.

"Wh-what?" Lily looked shocked that Leah had spoken. Her voice was coarse, like her throat was lined with sandpaper. Leah cleared her throat.

"Is he mad at me?"

"No, of course not!" Lily sat at the foot of Leah's bed, relieved to hear her friend talking again. "He's just worried, Leah- you never eat, you haven't slept. He hasn't seen you in a week. You're wasting away up here. He tried to get up here," she confided. "But you know the rules. The stairs tossed him back down."

"... I should go apologize."

"They're already in bed," Lily told her. "It's almost ten."

"Are girls allowed in the Boys' Dormitories?"

"Well, no... I mean, it'll let you up there, but it's after hours," Lily said, frowning. "That's against the rules." Leah nodded, and Lily stood up suddenly, her hands on her hips. "No, you know what? I don't care what the rules say! You need to go see Sirius! Get out of bed! Up, up, up!"

Leah smiled inwardly as she did what she was told. She still hurt when she moved- it seemed that every breath was harder than she remembered- but she needed to explain to Sirius that he wasn't a waste of time. That she never meant any of it.

"Heather... In her letter," Leah said, carefully rising to her feet and stepping into her slippers, "Heather said there was something she wanted me to do. That I was strong enough to do it. But she didn't say what it was."

"Well, that's a bit obvious, isn't it?" Lily gave her a bright smile. "She wanted you to stand up again."

_"Come on, Leah. You've been sitting there for ages! Let's take a picture together..."_

"...You will take this burden, and you will bear it alone. That's just who you are."

_**"Get up, Leah. This isn't your fault."**_

Leah scrubbed at her eyes with her shirt sleeve. "Yeah. I can do that."

Lily hugged her tightly. "She knew you could."

The Marauders were all roomates, turns out. Lily led Leah up the stairs and back through the hallway that led to the very last door. Light shone from under the crack in the door, and Lily stepped ahead to knock lightly.

"Potter, lights were supposed to be out ages ago."

"I don't know what you're talkin' about," James called. "Go back to bed, you loon. We're all asleep."

"Oi, how did you know our light was on if you weren't already up here, eh?" That was Sirius' voice, and Leah felt anxiety swell within her stomach. Before she could turn and quickly retreat back to the relative safety of her bed, the door swung open, and she found herself staring into the face of a very shirtless, very wet Sirius Black, with nothing but a fluffy white towel draped around his hips. His look of irritation jolted quickly into shock.

For a moment, no one said anything.

"I-I came to apologize," she murmured quietly. Lily smiled at them both.

"I'm going back to bed. You'll be okay, right?"

"Yeah." She could already feel a smile trying to claw its way onto her face. Sirius opened the door wider.

"C-Come in, I'll go, uh... you know, put some pants on."

She stepped into the room shyly, glancing around curiously. She'd always wondered what the boys' dormitories looked like. It wasn't much. Remus, James, and Peter were all sitting up in bed- James was toying with his famous golden snitch, while Remus and Peter both had books in their hands. She waved to them all.

"Hello, guys."

"Leah!" Remus tossed his book aside and climbed out of bed to greet her. She attempted a smile.

"Hello, Rem-" Her lungs were cut off as he swept her into a bone-crushing hug. She gasped for breath. "R-Remus... Can't b-breathe..."

"Sorry," he replied sheepishly, releasing her. "I heard about Heather, Leah, I'm so sorry."

Her name, instead of bringing the pain Leah expected it to, lifted some of the weight that crushed her heart. She shook her head.

"She's free now," she whispered. "She doesn't have to hide anymore. I think she likes that."

"Of course she does," Remus said, smiling sadly. "Forgive me, but you... well, you look rather like a dementor."

"So I've heard." She chuckled, her fingertips moving up to trace the bags beneath her eyes. "How long has it been, a week?"

"Just about." She glanced back up to Sirius, who had just stepped out of the bathroom and was walking toward her. He was still shirtless, but was now wearing a set of baggy black pajama pants. As he stopped right in front of her, her gaze traveled down to his chest, and the tattoos that trailed across his collarbone.

"I'm sorry," she started softly, embarrassed that this conversation had to take place in front of the others. "I didn't mean what I said after the Ball."

"I know." He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. He seemed to be just as embarrassed about it as she was. "I was- I was just worried about you. Lily said you wouldn't eat, and I couldn't get up there to see you, so..."

He really did look concerned. Leah nodded, smiling. "I'm better now."

"Glad to hear it." He grinned, relieved. They stood there for a moment, neither sure what to say. Leah cleared her throat to bid him a goodnight, when James spoke up.

"Bloody hell, Padfoot, just kiss her already."

With the charming grin that Leah had missed so much, he did.

When she woke the next morning, she found herself wrapped in two blankets- one made of cotton and down, and the other made of flesh and bone. She giggled, blowing a strand of Sirius' hair out of her face. He slept peacefully beside her, his mouth hanging open slightly as he growled out tiny, barely-audible snores. Leah glanced at the steadily-growing spot of drool on his black satin pillowcase and smiled, placing a gentle kiss on his bare shoulder.

"Mmmm?" Sirius looked up groggily, his hand immediately coming up to wipe the drool off his cheek. "Oh. Good morning."

"Morning," she murmured back. She felt rested- like she'd never even spent that week in bed. Her stomach, however, begged to differ, and a loud growl erupted from her gut. She blushed as Sirius laughed. "If I hadn't woken you, that sure as hell would have..."

He rolled over onto his back, stretching, and Leah lay back down on his chest. He sighed contentedly and wrapped his arm around her. "I could get used to this."

"I feel great," Leah confessed, curling into him. "Thank you."

"Oi..." Sirius scratched his stomach absently, his eyes looking anywhere but at her. "Are we dating now, or what?"

"Like boyfriend and girlfriend?" She rolled onto her stomach, resting her chin in her hand. "We haven't been on a proper date."

"That's true." He grinned. "Where do you want to go?"

Feeling butterflies all over again, Leah grinned back. "Surprise me."

* * *

"I can't believe you spent the night in his _bed_," Lily hissed. "That's so- so inappropriate!"

"We didn't do anything," Leah assured her for the fifth time. "We just talked for a bit, and then I was so tired that I just blacked out in his bed. And yes, I was fully dressed when I woke up."

Lily blushed. "Well, I'm glad you finally got some rest, but _really_, can you imagine if McGonagall found out?"

Leah rolled her eyes. "No one knows but you. Let's keep it that way, hm?"

"Oh, all right." Lily set down her half-eaten jellied toast. "I'm glad you're back, Leah. You're lucky you snapped out of it when you did."

"Mm, why's that?"

"Quidditch tryouts are this afternoon," Lily reminded her. "You should get some flying practice in with Sirius and James today."

"I totally spaced," Leah gasped. "What time are the tryouts?"

"About four hours from now. Hey, where are you going?" She added, as Leah climbed to her feet and snatched up her messenger bag. Her pancakes lay forgotten on her plate.

"To practice!" She called, hurrying out of the Great Hall. "See ya, Lily!"

Leah hummed happily as she made her way back to the common room. She hadn't flown since a few weeks after Thanksgiving, when she and Dane, along with his group of friends, had all raced around the Quidditch field. She'd warned him that she was experienced, but he was cocky. So, she didn't bother holding back.

Needless to say, they ate her Star-Tail's dust.

"Look, it's the wolf-lover!" The grating voice quickly jolted Leah from her thoughts, and she turned to see Bellatrix standing by one of the corridor windows. Next to her stood Lucius Malfoy, a third year Slytherin. Leah sneered back at the witch.

"Where's your posse, Bellatrix? Did they finally get tired of you?"

"You're still awfully cranky," she shot back mockingly, "even after a week-long nap!"

"That's funny you should mention me being cranky," Leah replied. "I was perfectly fine until I ran into you."

"I don't know how you could be fine... not after what happened to your little wolf friend."

Leah's heart skipped a beat, her eyes widening. Before she could process Bella's actual words, she whipped out her wand. "What did you just say?"

"Everyone knows about it," Bellatrix sneered, slipping her own wand out of her sleeve. "That little monster got what she deserved, in my op-"

"Expelliarmus!" Once Bella's wand was safely out of reach, Leah jerked her wand over to Malfoy, disarming him, as well. She raised her wand again, the hex just barely leaving her lips, but Bellatrix wasted no time- she lunged for Leah, her hands outstretched like clawed talons.

Malfoy, seeing that Bella was successfully distracting Leah, retrieved his wand and pointed it at her. "Expelliarmus!"

Leah didn't even flinch. She didn't mind fighting without a wand- she preferred it. She reeled her fist back and met Bellatrix halfway, barely feeling the tugging sensation at her scalp as Bella grabbed a fistful of her hair. Leah's fist smashed into Bella's face with a sickening crunch, and as a piercing shriek erupted from the Slytherin witch's lips, Leah pulled back for a second hit.

_Smack!_

Leah could hear only her blood pounding in her ears, boiling from the rage that edged her vision in red. Her already torn and bloody knuckles connected a third time, and there was a flash of blue light headed straight for her. Leah noticed it too late- as though a branch of the Whomping Willow had whipped her, she was blown across the corridor and thrown sideways into the stone wall.

_Snap!_ Excruciating pain shot up her arm, and into her neck, leaving her breathless and dizzy. She struggled to pick herself up and glanced up at Malfoy, who had his wand raised once more, standing almost protectively in front of Bellatrix, who was wiping the blood from her face.

"What are you waiting for, Lucius? Hex her!"

"Expelliarmus!" A familiar voice disarmed Lucius and Leah looked up to see Lily storming toward them, Sirius, James, and Remus in tow. "That's enough, all of you!"

"Oh," Bella mocked, laughing maniacally. Blood dripped from her nose and mouth, and her nose was twisted and crushed. Still, her eyes were alight with malice and a little bit of insanity, and it gave Leah the creeps. "Goodie two-shoes mudblood thinks she has authority over me, does she?"

"Leah!" Sirius crouched beside her, his fingertips gingerly poking at her injured arm. She hadn't bothered looking at it before, but one glance told her it was broken. She couldn't even think about moving her left arm without crippling pain, so she thought of other things- like the ragged breath that escaped her lips, or the way Lily was convincing James not retaliate for her sake.

"It's just a word," she was saying quietly. "I don't need you to cause trouble for me."

"What happened?" Sirius asked, his attention on her. Remus was looking between Leah and Bellatrix in shock.

"You... You completely rearranged her face," he said.

"That's exactly what happened," she replied with a smirk, gritting her teeth through the pain. "She said... that Heather got what she deserved."

"Come on," Sirius said quietly, helping her to her feet. "We're going to the infirmary."

"How long will you keep up this rebellion act against the family, blood traitor?" Bellatrix snickered, stopping them in their tracks as they started down the corridor. "The lot of you will get what is coming to you. You! Especially you, wolf-lover." She slumped against the wall, her black lips spread in a psychotic grin. "Don't you forget- I'll be the one who ends your life."

"Bella, Bella," Leah mocked, gripping Sirius' hand for support. Her left arm hung limply at her side, broken and useless, and the pain was beginning to make her nauseous. "You couldn't even stop me from punching your face in. I'm not scared of you."

Bella's creepy smile didn't budge. "It's not me you should be afraid of."

* * *

**A/N:** ( ~ 2900 words) Foreshadowing? Perhaps. Man, Bellatrix is crazy. I'd probably love her more if she didn't kill Sirius in Order of the Phoenix... [oops!spoiler] Thanks for reading! Please, if you have time, review! DO IT FUR TEH LULZ.


	11. AUTHOR NOTE

**Author Note:**

Hey all! I know you have been waiting for a very long time for me to update this story, and I am very sorry it has taken so long to get back to you. I had a baby in November and things have been quite hectic. However, good news!

I'M BACK!

**Expect an update to this story within the next week! And for those of you who are on Author Alert, expect a few updates on other stories as well. :)**

**Thank you to those who give me unwavering support through reviews. You give me the motivation I need!**

3!


	12. Winter Date

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Marauders, but I sure wouldn't mind if I did. ;P They belong to J.K. Rowling. I do, however, own Leah Matthews and the other OCs. Don't steal, please!

**A/N: **I missed you guys! I hope my writing style hasn't differed too much- it has been a very long time since I worked on this story. And again, sorry for the long hiatus! Here it is, the long-awaited chapter eleven... I decided to ease my way back into the story with a little fluff- hope you all don't mind. :]

* * *

**Girl of His Dreams  
**

**Chapter Eleven: Winter Date**

The Quidditch tryouts were uneventful. Leah did not do as well as she'd hoped, as she had not gotten any real practice once Madam Pomfrey had healed her broken arm. Truthfully, she was still a bit shaken from her encounter with Bellatrix. Despite any words being said about Heather, the blatant threat the Lestrange girl had left her with did not seem like empty words.

"Alright, you lot, settle down!" James pushed his crooked glasses further up onto his nose and stared at the participants who were huddled about in the snow waiting impatiently for the results. "We have the winners here, so let's get to business. Captain Greeney has selected only the best and the brightest for his team, so if you're name isn't Sirius or James, you can leave now."

"Give me that," Greeney said, snatching the parchment from James' hands and rolling his eyes. "I'll be fast, because it's cold as an ogre's mother out here. If I don't call your name, I'm sorry, but my choice is final. Maybe next year."

"I'm nervous," Leah murmured to Sirius, who had made his way to her side after the mock Quidditch match. "I was distracted the whole time."

"You did great," he replied comfortingly. "I didn't hit you with a bludger, so there's a plus."

"You didn't even try. I could tell."

"Would you rather I had?"

"Obviously," Greeney said loudly, interrupting them, "I am keeping some of my veterans; James, Sirius, Asher, welcome back."

There were some small rounds of applause.

"We have two new Chasers. Welcome to the team, Heidi and Leah." The rest of his list was drowned out by the static in Leah's ears. She'd made it! She grinned broadly and pumped her fist in the air. Lily, who had stopped by to watch, congratulated her warmly. By the time Leah's attention was back on Greeney's voice, he was thanking everyone for showing up, and those who had not made it were filing back into the castle with unmistakable disappointment.

"What did I tell you?" Sirius wrapped a warm arm around her. "Easy."

"This calls for celebration," James announced. He got an infamously mischievous look on his face. "Better yet, this calls for inebriation. What do you say, Padfoot?"

"Sorry, mate, but I can't. I have a date."

Leah blushed, and James' initial look of confusion melted into pride.

"Right then. Have fun, Padfoot. I'll do your drinking for you. Everyone who doesn't have a date, follow me! Party in the common room!" He and the rest of the team marched off, cheering and laughing, and the two were left to stand alone in the snow. It was getting darker out, but Leah had always loved the Winter. Another reminder of her home in Alaska, she supposed.

"Come on," Sirius said suddenly, tugging her in the opposite direction of the castle. Leah followed faithfully, not bothering to ask where they were going. Chances are he wouldn't tell her anyway. They made their way off the field, across the courtyard, and Leah finally realized they were walking toward the lake. Sirius saw her look up at him, and smiled. "You can skate, right?"

"I haven't in years," she replied softly, looking across the ice-covered body of water. Sirius rifled through his book bag and removed two pairs of skates. Leah had been wondering why he was carrying a book bag at all- it wasn't as if he ever had books with him.

"Lily mentioned you were the same size, so I borrowed hers," he explained, handing the smaller pair to her. He slipped his own skates on without difficulty and moved onto the ice, gliding across the surface easily. "Come on!"

Leah struggled with her laces at first, and scowled as Sirius laughed at her. Unlike Sirius, she was not nearly as graceful at first. She stepped onto the lake like a calf learning to walk, and had to wave her arms about like a windmill to keep upright. Sirius danced literal circles around her, until she got irritated enough to shove him roughly. The motion sent them both reeling backwards, and they laughed together as they collapsed onto their posteriors. As Leah placed her hands down to push herself up, Sirius placed his hand atop hers, halting her momentarily.

"You're beautiful," he murmured. Leah looked down, unable to stop a smile from spreading onto her lips. He mirrored her response.

"I know," she retorted confidently, despite the raging butterflies in her chest. This earned herself a chuckle from the handsome man beside her, and before she knew what was happening, he was leaning forward and his hot breath was on her face. Instinctively, she closed her eyes and accepted the kiss. He was warm, and despite the waves of nervousness that constantly washed over her when they touched, he was _comfort. _After what seemed like hours, not that either of them minded, Sirius pulled back to stare into her eyes.

_It was never a game,_ his eyes told her. _You will never be a game._

"I want you," Sirius breathed. At her look of shock, he hastily corrected himself. "Not- not like that, I just... I want you." He looked ashamed of his flustered speech.

"What do you mean then?" Leah blushed slightly, not used to such heavy words from Sirius. Before he could reiterate, she tilted her head to the side. "You have me. Don't you?"

He stopped short, giving her a serious look. "I'm good at casual dating," he muttered. "Anyone will tell you that. I'm sure bloody gits have already told you that. But I don't want that. I want you to be you, and me to be me, and us to be... us. And happy."

"I am happy," she replied warmly. "I have amazing friends. I have an amazing boyfriend." At his pointed look, she grinned. "Yes, boyfriend."

All at once, Sirius was back to his cocky self. "Boyfriend, huh? I suppose I'm alright with that. For now." He kissed her forehead.

_For now._ The words, meant in a loving way, rang a different tune to Leah. _But what happens after graduation? _

_For now,_ she repeated firmly. _All I can worry about is the present. We're both here now, and that's what matters._

* * *

**A/N:** ( ~ 1200 words) Definitely my shortest chapter, but considering how long I've been away from this story, it's hardly unexpected! I hope you all enjoyed the fluff. Things will be getting more interesting here shortly. Stay tuned! (For real this time, I won't be away for years, promise!)


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